FAIRV 
TALES 


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WITH  •  I  LLUSTRATIONS-BY 


W  =  HEATH 
ROBINSON 


FRANCES  CLARKE  SAYERS 


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HANS    ANDERSEN'S    FAIRY    TALES 


The  bud  opened  into  a  full  blown  flower,  in  the  middle  of  which 
lay  a  beautiful  child 


AN5:  ANDERSEN '5 
FAIRY:  TALES '  WITH 
ILLUSTRATIONS' BY 
W  HEATH :  ROBINSCN 


NEW  'YORK 

HENRY:  HOLT  :&:  CO. 
1913 


SR1T 
URl 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

LIST  OF  COLOURED  PLATES     .  .  .  .  .  '... 

THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER ,        . 

TOMMELISE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

THE  SNOW  QUEEN. 

PART  THE  FIRST— WHICH  TREATS   OF   THE   MIRROR  AND  ITS 
FRAGMENTS         ........ 

PART  THE  SECOND— A  LITTLE  BOY  AND  A  LITTLE  GIRL  . 
PART  THE  THIRD— THE  ENCHANTED  FLOWER-GARDEN    . 


PACE 

vii 


2 
52 

69 

72 
80 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

PART  THE  FOURTH— THE  PRINCE  AND  THE  PRINCESS      . 
PART  THE  FIFTH— THE  LITTLE  ROBBER-MAIDEN 


PAGE 

90 
99 


PART  THE   SIXTH— THE  LAPLAND  WOMAN  AND  THE  FINLAND 

WOMAN     .........       107 

PART  THE  SEVENTH— WHICH  TREATS  OF  THE  SNOW  QUEEN'S 

PALACE,  AND  OF  WHAT  CAME  TO  PASS  THEREIN        .  .       112 

ELFIN-MOUNT        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .121 

THE  LITTLE  MERMAID  ........       133 

THE  STORKS .165 

THE  NIGHTINGALE          ........       173 

THE  WILD  SWANS  . 190 

THE  REAL  PRINCESS       ....  .  .       214 

1*HE  RED  SHOES  .....  ...       218 

THE  EMPEROR'S  NEW  CLOTHES         ......       229 

THE  SWINEHERD  .  238 

THE  FLYING  TRUNK       ....  ...       247 

THE  LEAPING  MATCH .258 

THE  SHEPHERDESS  AND  THE  CHIMNEY-SWEEPER         .  .  .263 

THE  UGLY  DUCKLING     ........       271 

THE  NAUGHTY  BOY  286 


VI 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


The  marsh  king's  daughter    ......  1 

She  understood  the  speech  of  birds     .             .             .             .             .  2 

It  was  he  who  pulled  her  down           ......  7 

The  Nile  flood  had  retired      .             .             .             .             .             .  13 

There  was  a  little  bird  that  beat  its  wings     .             .             .  27 

Placed  the  golden  circuit  about  his  neck        ....  35 

Then  she  saw  the  storks          .  .  .  .  .  .41 

The  swallow  soared  high  into  the  air              ....  51 

'  Thou  poor  little  thing,'  said  the  field-mouse             ...  52 

'  This  is  just  the  wife  for  my  son,1  said  the  toad         ...  56 

Oh,  how  terrified  was  poor  Tommelise            ....  59 

That  was  the  greatest  of  pleasures     .....  65 

They  carried  the  mirror  from  place  to  place               .             .             .  69 

He  chuckled  with  delight       ......  71 

She  wore  a  large  hat,  with  most  beautiful  flowers  painted  on  it        ,.  79 

Gerda  knew  every  flower  in  the  garden            ...»  87 

Suddenly  a  large  raven  hopped  upon  the  snow  in  front  of  her            .  94 

Cabinet  councillors  were  walking  about  barefooted    ...  97 

And  the  nearer  they  were  to  the  door  the  prouder  they  looked          «  102 

And  flapped  his  black  wings  at  the  carriage  till  it  was  out  of  sight  .  106 
The  little  robber-maiden        .             .             .             .             .             .109 

The  snow  queen          .             ...             .             .  112 

She  ran  on  as  fast  as  she  could  .  .  .  .  .115 

She  entered  the  large,  cold,  empty  hall           .             .             .             .  117 

vii 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 


PACK 


Tailpiece        .  .119 

The  elfin  king's  housekeeper  .  .  .  .  .120 

The  mer-king  must  be  invited  first    .  .  .  .  .124 

They  felt  quite  as  if  they  were  at  home          ....          127 

I  will  have  thee  myself  to  wife  .....          130 

The  little  mermaid     .  .  .  .  .  .  .132 

She  was  on  the  whole  a  sensible  sort  of  lady  .  .  .         137 

The  youngest  was  the  most  lovely      .  .  .  .  .140 

They  ate  from  their  hands     .  .  .  .  .  .148 

Many  an  evening  she  rose  to  the  place  .  .  .155 

When  the  sun  arose  she  awoke  .....          159 

Father  stork  .  .  .  .  .  .  .164 

« Stork  !  stork  !  long-legged  stork  ! '  .  .  .  .  .168 

And  fetch  one  for  each  of  the  boys    .....          170 

'Oh!  how  pretty  that  is !' he  would  say        ....         172 

Among  the  branches  dwelt  a  nightingale       ....         177 

They  admired  the  city,  the  palace,  and  the  garden    .  .  .179 

The  kitchen-maid       .......         181 

The  chief  imperial  nightingale  bringer  .  .  .  .184 

He  was  quite  as  successful  as  the  real  nightingale      .  .  .187 

The  wild  swans  .......         189 

So  Elise  took  off  her  clothes  and  stepped  into  the  water        .  .          195 

And  met  an  old  woman  with  a  basket  full  of  berries  .  .          198 

Not  a  boat  was  to  be  seen      ......         201 

There  was  only  just  room  for  her  and  them  ....         204 

I  must  venture  to  the  churchyard       .....         209 

Tailpiece        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .212 

I  have  scarcely  closed  my  eyes  the  whole  night  through         .  .         213 

The  old  king  himself  went  out  to  open  it  .  .  .215 

viii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACK 


And  the  pea  was  preserved  in  the  cabinet  of  curiosities         .             .  216 

Karen             .             .             .             .             .             ....  217 

And  Karen  was  dressed  very  neatly  .....  220 

Karen  and  the  old  lady  walked  to  church       .              .              .              .  222 

He  sat  there  nodding  at  her               .....  224 

Dance  she  must,  over  field  and  meadow          ....  226 

Two  rogues  calling  themselves  weavers  made  their  appearance           .  228 

'  Oh,  it  is  excellent ! '  replied  the  minister      ....  231 

As  if  in  the  act  of  holding  something  up                    .             .             .  233 

So  now  the  emperor  walked  under  his  high  canopy   .             .             .  234 

The  two  rogues           .......  235 

Tailpiece         ........  236 

The  emperor's  daughter         ......  237 

All   cares   and   sorrows   were   forgotten   by   him    who   inhaled   its 

fragrance              .......  239 

And  he  wept  like  a  child        ......  241 

'  Ach !  du  lieber  Augustin '   .             .             .             .             .             .  243 

Up  flew  the  trunk      ......  246 

The  son  lived  merrily              ......  248 

He  met  a  nurse           .......  249 

Will  you  tell  us  a  story  ?  asked  the  queen      .  252 

*  But  let  it  make  us  laugh,1  said  the  king       .  253 

Their  slippers  flew  about  their  ears    .                          .                           .  255 

And  thus  the  frog  won  the  princess                                                        .  257 

The  old  councillor      ...  259 

'  Say  nothing  for  the  present,1  remarked  the  king       .              .              .  260 

It  may  not  be  perfectly  true               .                                        .             .  261 

The  shepherdess  and  the  chimney-sweeper     .             .            - .             .  262 

Heading         .  .  .  .  .  .  .263 

ix 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 


PAGE 


Tailpiece  .  269 

The  poor  duckling  was  scorned  by  all  .  .  .  .  270 

He  came  to  a  large  moor        ......  275 

And  the  cat  said,  '  Can  you  purr  ? '    .  .  .  .  .  280 

And  every  one  said,  '  The  new  one  is  the  best '  283 

Beware  of  him,  dear  child !  .....  285 

THE  END  289 


x 


LIST  OF  COLOURED  ILLUSTRATIONS 


'  The  bud  opened  into  a  full-blown  flower,  in  the  middle  of 
which  lay  a  beautiful  child '  .  . 


Frontispiece 


'She  stood  at  the  door  and  begged  for  a  piece  of 
barley-corn ' 

'  Yes  !  I  will  go  with  thee,  said  Tommelise,  and  she 
seated  herself  on  the  bird's  back ' 

'  The  swing  moves  and  the  bubbles  fly  upward  with 
bright  ever-changing  colours  *  . 

'  He  did  not  come  to  woo  her,  he  said,  he  had  only 
come  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  the  princess ' 

( Round  and  round  they  went,  such  whirling  and 
twirling'  ..... 

*  She  put  the  statue  in  her  garden '    . 

'  With  the  rest  of  the  children  of  air,  soared  high 
above  the  rosy  cloud ' 

'  We  will  bring  him  two  little  ones,  a  brother  and 
a  sister'  ..... 

'  Then  began  the  nightingale  to  sing ' 

'  The  peasant's  wife  sat  on  Sundays  at  the  door  of 
her  cottage  reading  her  hymn-book ' 

'  Princesses  he  found  in  plenty,  but  whether  they 
were  real  princesses  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  decide '..... 


Facing  page  56 
64 
84 
94 

126 
134 

162 

170 
176 

190 


214 


XI 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

v     - 

'She  sat  down  one  day  and  made  out  of  some  old 

pieces  of  red  cloth  a  pair  of  little  shoes'  .         Opposite  page     218 

'  The  Swineherd  scolded  and  the  rain  poured  down ""  „  244 

'  She  sat  the  live-long  day  upon   the  roof  of  her 

palace,  expecting  him  *  .  .  .  .  „  256 

'  He  jumped    down   from    the    old    man's   lap   and 

danced  around  him  on  the  floor '  .  286 


Xll 


THE:  MAPSH  -  KING'S  :  DAUGHTER 


SHE    UNDERSTOOD    THE    SPEECH    OF    BIRDS 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

THE  storks  tell  their  young  ones  ever  so  many  fairy 
tales,  all  of  them  from  the  fen  and  the  moss.     Gener- 
ally the  tales  are  suited  to  the  youngsters'  age  and 
understanding.     The  baby  birds  are  pleased  if  they  are  told 
just '  kribly,  krably,  plurry-murry  !  '  which  they  think  wonder- 
ful ;   but  the  older  ones  will  have  something  with  more  sense 
in  it,  or,  at  the  least,  a  tale  about  themselves.     Of  the  two 
oldest  and  longest  tales  which  have  been  told  among  the 
storks,  one  we  all  know — that  about  Moses,  who  was  placed 
by  his  mother  in  an  ark  on  the  waters  of  the  Nile,  was  found 
by  the  king's  daughter,  and  then  was  taught  all  learning, 
and  became  a  great  man,  and  no  one  knows  where  he  was 
buried.     Everybody  has  heard  that  tale. 
2 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

But  the  other  story  is  not  known  at  all  even  now  ;  perhaps 
because  it  is  really  a  chimney-corner  tale.  It  has  been  handed 
down  by  mother-stork  to  mother-stork  for  hundreds  of  years, 
and  each  in  turn  has  told  it  better,  till  now  we  are  telling  it 
best  of  all. 

The  first  pair  of  storks  who  knew  it  had  their  summer 
quarters  on  a  Viking's  log-house  by  the  moor  in  Wendsyssel, 
which  is  in  the  county  of  Hjorring,  near  Skagen  in  Jutland, 
if  we  want  to  be  accurate.  To  this  day  there  is  still  an 
enormous  great  moss  there.  You  can  read  all  about  it  in 
your  geography  book.  The  moss  lies  where  was  once  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  before  the  great  upheaval  of  the  land  ; 
and  now  it  stretches  for  miles,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
watery  meadows  and  quivering  bog,  with  turf-moss  cloud- 
berries and  stunted  trees  growing.  A  fog  hangs  over  it  almost 
continually,  and  till  about  seventy  years  ago  wolves  were  still 
found  there.  It  may  certainly  be  called  a  wild  moor,  and  you 
can  imagine  what  lack  of  paths  and  what  abundance  of  swamp 
and  sea  was  there  thousands  of  years  ago.  In  that  waste 
man  saw  ages  back  just  what  he  sees  to-day.  The  reeds 
were  just  as  high,  with  the  same  kind  of  long  leaves  and 
purplish-brown,  feathery  flowers  as  they  have  now ;  the 
birches  stood  with  white  bark  and  fine,  loose-hung  leaves  just 
as  they  now  stand ;  and  for  the  living  creatures  that  came 
there,  why,  the  fly  wore  its  gauze  suit  of  just  the  same  cut  as 
now,  and  the  colour  of  the  stork's  dress  was  white  and  black, 
with  red  stockings.  On  the  other  hand,  the  men  of  that  time 
wore  different  clothes  from  those  we  wear.  But  whoever 
it  was,  poor  peasant  or  free  hunter,  that  trod  on  the  quagmire, 
it  happened  thousands  of  years  ago  just  as  it  does  to-day — 
in  he  went  and  down  he  sank,  down  to  the  Marsh  King,  as  they 
called  him,  who  reigned  beneath  in  the  great  Moss  Kingdom. 

3 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

He  was  called  also  the  Mire  King,  but  we  will  call  him  by  the 
stork's  name  for  him — Marsh  King.  People  know  very  little 
about  how  he  governed,  but  perhaps  that  is  just  as  well. 

Near  to  the  moss,  and  right  in  the  Liim  Fjord,  stood  the 
Viking's  log-house,  with  paved  cellar  and  tower  two  storeys 
high.  On  the  roof  the  storks  had  built  their  nest.  Mother- 
stork  sat  on  her  eggs,  and  was  positive  they  would  turn  out 
well. 

One  evening  father-stork  had  been  out  for  a  long  time,  and 
when  he  came  home  he  seemed  excited  and  flurried. 

'  I  've  dreadful  news  for  you  !  '  he  said  to  mother- stork. 

4  Don't  get  excited,'  said  she.  '  Remember  I  'm  sitting 
on  my  eggs,  and  I  might  be  upset  by  it,  and  then  the  eggs 
would  suffer.' 

4  You  must  know  it ! '  he  answered.  *  She  has  come  here, 
our  landlord's  daughter  in  Egypt !  She  has  ventured  on  the 
journey  here,  and  she  is  lost !  ' 

*  Why,   she  is  of  fairy  descent !     Tell  me  all  about  it ; 
you   know   I  can't    bear  to  wait   at  this  time,   when   I'm 
sitting.' 

*  Listen,  mother.     It 's  as  you  told  me.     She  has  believed 
what  the  doctor  said,  that  the  moor-flowers  here  could  do  her 
sick  father  good,  and  so  she  has  flown  here  in  a  feather-dress 
with  the  other  winged  princesses,  who  have  to  come  to  the 
north  every  year  to  bathe  and  renew  their  youth.     She  has 
come,  and  she  is  lost ! ' 

*  You  're   getting   too    long-winded  ! '    said    mother-stork. 
*  The  eggs  may  be  chilled  I     I  can't  bear  to  be  excited  ! ' 

*  I  have  watched,'  said  father-stork,  4  and  in  the  evening, 
when  I  went  into  the  reeds,  where  the  quagmire  is  able  to  bear 
me,  there  came  three  swans.     Something  in  the  way  they  flew 
told  me,  "  Watch ;    that  isn't  a  real  swan ;   it 's  only  swan 

4 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

feathers."     You  know  the  feeling,  mother,  as  well  as  I  do ; 
you  can  tell  if  it  is  right.' 

4  Yes,  certainly,'  said  she ;  '  but  tell  me  about  the  princess. 
I  'm  tired  of  hearing  about  the  swan's  feathers.' 

'  Here,  in  the  middle  of  the  moor,  you  know,'  said  father- 
stork,  '  is  a  kind  of  lake  ;  you  can  see  a  part  of  it  if  you  stand 
up.  There,  by  the  reeds  and  the  green  quagmire,  lies  a  great 
elder-stump.  The  three  swans  lighted  on  it,  flapped  their 
wings,  and  looked  round  them.  Then  one  of  them  threw  off 
her  swan's  plumage,  and  I  saw  it  was  our  own  princess,  of  our 
house  in  Egypt.  Then  she  sat  down,  and  she  had  no  other 
covering  than  her  own  long,  black  hair.  I  heard  her  ask  the 
two  others  to  take  great  care  of  her  swan-skin  while  she  plunged 
under  the  water  to  gather  a  flower  which  she  thought  she  saw. 
They  nodded,  and  lifted  up  the  loose  feather-dress.  "  I  wonder 
what  they  mean  to  do  with  it,"  said  I  to  myself  ;  and  no  doubt 
she  asked  them  the  same.  And  she  got  an  answer,  something 
she  could  see  for  herself.  They  flew  aloft  with  her  feather- 
dress  !  "  Sink  down,"  they  cried ;  "  you  shall  never  fly  in 
the  swan-skin  again ;  never  see  Egypt  again  !  Stay  in  the 
moss  !  "  And  so  they  tore  her  feather-dress  into  a  hundred 
pieces,  till  the  feathers  flew  about  as  if  it  was  snowing,  and  off 
flew  the  two  good-for-nothing  princesses.' 

4  Oh,  how  dreadful ! '  said  mother-stork.  4 1  can't  bear 
to  hear  it.  But,  tell  me,  what  else  happened  ? ' 

'  Our  princess  moaned  and  wept.  Her  tears  fell  on  the 
elder-stump,  and  it  was  quite  moved,  for  it  was  the  Marsh 
King  himself,  who  lives  in  the  quagmire.  I  saw  the  stump 
turn  itself,  so  it  wasn't  only  a  trunk,  for  it  put  out  long,  muddy 
boughs  like  arms.  Then  the  unhappy  girl  was  frightened, 
and  sprang  aside  into  the  quivering  marsh,  which  will  not 
bear  me,  much  less  her.  In  at  once  she  sank,  and  down  with 

5 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

her  went  the  elder-stump — it  was  he  who  pulled  her  down. 
Then  a  few  big  black  bubbles,  and  no  trace  of  her  left.  She 
is  engulfed  in  the  marsh,  and  will  never  return  to  Egypt  with 
her  flower.  You  couldn't  have  borne  to  see  it,  mother  !  ' 

4  You  shouldn't  have  told  me  anything  of  the  sort  just  now  ; 
it  may  affect  the  eggs.  The  princess  can  take  good  care  of 
herself.  She  '11  get  help  easily  enough.  Had  it  been  you  or  I, 
there  would  have  been  an  end  of  us.5 

4  However,  I  '11  go  day  by  day  to  see  about  it,'  said  father- 
stork  ;  and  so  he  did. 

The  days  and  months  went  by.  He  saw  at  last  one  day 
that  right  from  the  bottom  of  the  marsh  a  green  stalk  pushed 
up  till  it  reached  the  surface  of  the  water.  Out  of  it  grew  a 
leaf,  that  grew  wider  and  wider,  and  close  to  it  a  bud  put 
out.  Then  one  morning,  as  the  stork  was  flying  over  it,  it 
opened,  with  the  sun's  warmth,  into  a  full-blown  flower,  in 
the  middle  of  which  lay  a  beautiful  child,  a  little  girl,  as  if  she 
were  fresh  from  the  bath.  So  like  was  the  child  to  the  princess 
from  Egypt,  that  at  first  the  stork  believed  it  to  be  herself 
turned  a  child  again.  But  when  he  thought  it  over,  he  decided 
that  it  was  more  likely  to  be  the  child  of  the  princess  and 
the  Marsh  King,  and  that  was  why  she  was  lying  in  a 
water  lily. 

4  She  mustn't  be  left  lying  there,'  thought  father-stork, 
'  and  there  are  too  many  already  in  my  nest.  But  I  have  it ! 
The  Viking's  wife  has  no  children,  and  she  has  often  wished 
for  a  little  one.  Yes,  I  get  the  name  for  bringing  the  babies  ; 
I  will  do  it  in  sober  truth  for  once  !  I  '11  fly  to  the  Viking's 
wife  with  the  child.  They  '11  be  delighted  ! ' 

So  the  stork  took  the  little  girl,  flew  to  the  log-house,  made 
a  hole  with  his  beak  in  the  window,  with  panes  made  of  bladder, 
laid  the  child  on  the  bosom  of  the  Viking's  wife,  and  flew  away 
6 


IT    WAS    HE    WHO    PULLED    HER    DOWN 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

to  mother-stork  to  tell  her  all  about  it.     Her  young  ones  heard 
it  too,  for  they  were  now  old  enough. 

'  Listen  ;   the  princess  is  not  dead.     She  has  sent  her  little 
one  up,  and  the  child  has  a  home  found  for  her.' 

'  Yes,  so  I  said  from  the  first,'  said  mother-stork.  '  Now 
think  a  little  about  your  own  children.  It 's  almost  time  for 
our  journey.  I  begin  to  feel  a  tingling  under  my  wings.  The 
cuckoo  and  the  nightingale  are  off  already,  and  I  hear  the 
quails  chattering  about  it,  and  saying  that  we  shall  soon  have 
a  favourable  wind.  Our  young  ones  are  quite  fit  for  training, 
I  'm  sure.' 

Glad  indeed  was  the  Viking's  wife  when  she  woke  in  the 
morning  to  find  the  beautiful  little  child  near  her  side.  She 
kissed  and  fondled  it,  but  it  screamed  with  passion,  and  threw 
out  its  arms  and  legs,  and  seemed  utterly  miserable.  At  last 
it  cried  itself  to  sleep,  and  there  it  lay,  one  of  the  prettiest 
babies  you  could  set  eyes  on. 

The  Viking's  wife  was  so  happy,  so  gay,  so  well,  that  she 
could  not  but  hope  that  her  husband  and  his  men  would  return 
as  suddenly  as  the  little  one  had  come,  and  so  she  and  all  her 
household  busied  themselves  to  get  everything  into  order. 
The  long  coloured  tapestries,  which  she  and  her  maidens  had 
woven  with  figures  of  their  gods — Odin,  Thor,  Freya,  as  they 
were  called — were  hung  up ;  the  slaves  were  set  to  polish  the 
old  shields  used  for  decoration ;  cushions  were  arranged  on 
the  benches,  and  dry  wood  placed  on  the  hearth  in  the  middle 
of  the  hall,  so  that  the  fire  could  be  lit  in  a  moment.  The 
Viking's  wife  took  her  share  in  the  work,  so  that  by  the  evening 
she  was  very  tired,  and  slept  soundly. 

When    she    woke    towards    daybreak    she    was    terribly 
frightened.     The  little  child  had  vanished !     She  sprang  up, 
lighted  a  brand,  and  looked  everywhere  around.     There,  just 
8 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

at  the  foot  of  the  bed  where  she  had  lain,  was,  not  a  baby, 
but  a  great  ugly  toad  !  In  utter  disgust  at  it  she  took  a  heavy 
stick  to  kill  it,  but  the  creature  looked  at  her  with  such  wonder- 
fully sad  eyes  that  she  could  not  destroy  it.  Once  more  she 
gazed  round ;  the  toad  uttered  a  faint,  mournful  croak.  She 
started,  and  sprang  from  the  bedside  to  the  window,  and 
opened  it.  At  that  moment  the  sun  rose,  and  cast  its  rays  upon 
the  bed  and  upon  the  great  toad.  All  at  once  it  seemed  that 
the  creature's  wide  mouth  shrank,  and  became  small  and  rosy  ; 
the  limbs  filled  out  into  the  most  charming  shape.  It  was  her 
own  beautiful  babe  that  lay  there,  not  the  hideous  reptile  ! 

'  What  is  this  ?  '  cried  the  dame.  '  Was  it  an  ill  dream  ? 
Yes,  there  is  my  own  sweet  elfin  child  lying  there  ! '  She 
kissed  it,  and  pressed  it  to  her  heart ;  but  it  fought  and  bit 
like  a  wild  kitten  ! 

The  Viking,  however,  did  not  come  that  day,  nor  the  next ; 
for  though  he  was  on  his  way,  the  wind  was  against  him  as  it 
blew  to  the  south  for  the  storks.  Fair  wind  for  one  is  foul  for 
the  other. 

In  those  two  days  and  nights  the  Viking's  wife  saw  clearly 
how  it  was  with  her  little  child.  And  dreadful  indeed  was  the 
spell  that  lay  on  it.  By  day  it  was  as  beautiful  as  an  angel 
of  light,  but  it  had  a  bad,  evil  disposition.  By  night,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  was  a  hideous  toad,  quiet,  sad,  with  sorrowful 
eyes.  It  had  two  natures,  which  changed  with  its  outward 
form.  And  so  it  was  that  the  baby,  brought  by  the  stork, 
had  by  daylight  its  mother's  own  rightful  shape,  but  its  father's 
temper ;  while  again,  night  made  the  kinship  with  him  evident 
in  the  bodily  form,  in  which,  however,  dwelt  the  mother's 
mind  and  heart.  Who  could  loose  the  spell  cast  by  the  power 
of  witchcraft  ?  The  Viking's  wife  was  worn  and  distressed 
about  it,  and  her  heart  was  heavy  for  the  unhappy  being, 

9 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

of  whose  condition  she  did  not  think  that  she  dared  tell  her 
husband  if  he  came  home  then,  for  he  would  certainly  follow 
the  custom  and  practice  of  the  time,  and  expose  the  poor  child 
on  the  high-road  for  any  one  that  liked  to  take  away.  The 
good  dame  had  not  the  heart  to  do  this  :  her  husband  should 
see  the  child  only  by  daylight. 

One  morning  the  wings  of  storks  were  heard  above  the  roof. 
More  than  a  hundred  pairs  of  the  birds  had  rested  themselves 
for  the  night  after  their  heavy  exercise,  and  they  now  flew  up, 
preparatory  to  starting  southwards. 

'  All  ready,  and  the  wives  and  children  ?  '  was  their  cry. 

4  Oh,  I  'm  so  light,'  said  the  young  storks.  '  My  bones  feel 
all  kribly-krably,  as  if  I  was  filled  with  live  frogs  !  How 
splendid  it  is  to  have  to  go  abroad  ! ' 

4  Keep  up  in  the  flight,'  said  father  and  mother,  '  and  don't 
chatter  so  much  ;  it  tires  the  chest.' 

And  they  flew. 

At  the  same  moment  a  horn  sounded  over  the  moor.  The 
Viking  had  landed  with  all  his  men,  returning  laden  with 
booty  from  the  coasts  of  Gaul,  where  the  people,  like  those  of 
Britain,  used  to  chant  in  their  terror  :  '  From  the  rage  of  the 
Northmen,  Lord,  deliver  us  !  '  Guess  what  stir  and  festival 
now  came  to  the  Viking's  stronghold  near  the  moor  !  A  barrel 
of  mead  was  brought  into  hall ;  a  huge  fire  was  lighted  ;  horses 
were  slaughtered  ;  everything  went  duly.  The  heathen  priest 
sprinkled  the  slaves  with  warm  blood,  to  begin  their  new  life  ; 
the  fire  crackled  ;  the  smoke  curled  under  the  roof ;  the  soot 
fell  down  from  the  beams — but  they  were  used  to  that.  Guests 
were  invited,  and  received  valuable  gifts.  Plots  and  treachery 
were  forgotten ;  they  drank  deep  and  threw  the  picked  bones 
in  each  other's  faces  in  good-humoured  horse-play.  The  bard 
— a  kind  of  musician,  but  a  warrior  as  well,  who  went  with  them, 
10 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

saw  their  exploits,  and  sang  about  them — gave  them  a  song 
in  which  they  heard  all  their  warrior-deeds  and  feats  of  prowess. 
Each  verse  ended  with  the  refrain  : 

'  Wealth,  kindred,  life  cannot  endure, 
But  the  warrior's  glory  standeth  sure/ 

And  they  all  clashed  upon  their  shields,  and  beat  upon  the 
table  with  knives  and  fists,  and  made  great  clamour. 

The  Viking's  wife  sat  on  the  cross-bench  in  the  open 
banqueting-hall.  She  wore  a  robe  of  silk,  with  bracelets  of 
gold  and  beads  of  amber.  She  had  put  on  her  dress  of  state, 
and  the  bard  sang  of  her,  and  told  of  the  golden  treasure  she 
had  brought  to  her  wealthy  lord,  while  he  was  delighted  with 
the  beautiful  child,  for  he  could  see  it  by  day  in  all  its  loveliness. 
He  was  well  pleased  with  the  baby's  wildness,  and  said  she 
would  become  a  right  warrior-maid,  and  fight  as  his  champion. 
She  did  not  even  blink  her  eyes  when  a  skilful  hand  cut  her 
eyelashes  with  a  sharp  sword  as  a  rough  joke. 

The  barrel  of  mead  was  drained,  and  a  second  brought  in, 
and  all  got  well  drunk,  for  they  were  folk  who  loved  to  drink 
their  fill.  They  had  a  proverb  :  '  The  kine  know  when  to  go 
to  stall  from  pasture,  but  the  fool  never  knows  when  he  has 
had  enough.'  They  knew  it  well  enough,  but  know  and  do 
are  different  things.  They  had  another  proverb,  too  :  '  The 
dearest  friend  grows  wearisome  when  he  outstays  his  welcome.' 
But  on  they  stayed.  Meat  and  mead  are  good :  it  was 
glorious  ! — and  the  slaves  slept  in  the  warm  ashes,  and  dipped 
their  fingers  in  the  fat  and  licked  them.  Oh,  it  was  a  great 
time  ! 

Once  again  that  year  the  Viking  went  on  a  raid,  though  the 
autumn  gales  were  rising.  He  led  his  men  to  the  coast  of 
Britain — '  just  over  the  water,'  he  said  ;  and  his  wife  remained 

11 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

with  the  little  girl.  And  truth  to  tell,  the  foster-mother  soon 
grew  fonder  of  the  unhappy  toad  with  the  gentle  eyes  and  deep 
sighjhan  of  the  beautiful  child  that  fought  and  bit  all  about 
her. 

The  raw,  dank  autumn  mist,  '  Mouthless,'  which  devours 
the  leaves  lay  over  forest  and  moor ;  '  Bird  Featherless,'  as 
they  called  the  snow,  flew  closely  all  around  ;  winter  was  nigh 
at  hand.  The  sparrows  took  the  storks'  nests  for  themselves, 
and  criticised  the  ways  of  the  late  owners  during  their  absence. 
And  where  were  mother-  and  father-stork  and  their  young  ones 
all  the  time  ?  Down  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  where  the  sun 
shone  warm,  as  it  does  on  a  fine  summer's  day  with  us. 
Tamarinds  and  acacias  bloomed  round  them ;  the  crescent  of 
Mahomet  gleamed  bright  from  the  cupolas  of  the  mosques ; 
pairs  and  pairs  of  storks  sat  on  the  slender  turrets,  and  rested 
after  their  long  journey.  Great  flocks  of  them  had  built  nest 
by  nest  on  the  huge  pillars  and  broken  arches  of  temples  and 
forgotten  cities.  The  date-palm  raised  its  foliage  on  high,  as 
if  to  keep  off  the  glare  of  the  sun.  Grey- white  pyramids  stood 
out  against  the  clear  sky  across  the  desert,  where  the  ostrich 
raced  at  speed,  and  the  lion  crouched  with  great,  wise  eyes, 
and  saw  the  marble  sphinx  that  lay  half-buried  in  the  sand. 
The  Nile  flood  had  retired ;  the  whole  bed  of  the  river  was 
swarming  with  frogs,  and  to  the  stork  family  that  was  quite 
the  best  thing  to  be  seen  in  the  country.  The  young  ones 
thought  their  eyes  must  be  playing  them  tricks,  it  all  seemed 
so  wonderful. 

4  We  always  have  it  just  like  this  in  our  warm  country,' 
said  mother-stork ;  and  the  young  ones  felt  their  appetites 
grow. 

'  Will  there  be  anything  more  to  see  ?  '  said  they.     *  Shall 
we  go  much  farther  into  the  country  ?  ' 
12 


THE   NILE    FLOOD    HAD    RETIRED 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

'  There  is  nothing  better  to  see,'  said  mother-stork.  '  At 
that  green  border  is  only  a  wild  wood,  where  the  trees  crowd 
one  upon  another,  and  are  entangled  together  with  thorny 
creepers.  Only  an  elephant  with  his  clumsy  legs  can  make  a 
way  there.  The  snakes  are  too  large  for  us,  and  the  lizards 
too  lively.  If  you  try  to  go  into  the  desert  you  get  your  eyes 
full  of  sand  in  fair  weather,  and  if  there  is  much  wind,  you  find 
yourself  buried  under  a  sand-heap.  No,  this  is  the  best  place. 
Here  are  frogs  and  locusts.  I  shall  stop  here,  and  you  must 
stay  with  me.'  And  they  stayed. 

The  old  ones  sat  in  their  nest  on  the  slender  minaret  and 
rested  themselves,  while  yet  they  were  busy  preening  their 
feathers  and  rubbing  their  beaks  on  their  red-stockinged  legs. 
They  would  raise  their  necks,  bow  gravely,  and  hold  up  their 
heads  with  their  high  foreheads,  fine,  smooth  feathers,  and 
brown  eyes  glancing  sharply.  The  young  hen-storks  walked 
gravely  about  among  the  coarse  reeds,  stealing  glances  at  the 
other  young  storks,  and  devouring  a  frog  at  every  third  step, 
or  else  a  small  snake,  which  they  found  so  good  for  their  health, 
and  so  tasty.  The  young  males  began  to  quarrel,  beat  each 
other  with  their  wings,  pecked,  yes,  stabbed  till  the  blood 
flowed  !  And  so  one  and  another  got  betrothed,  for  that  was 
the  whole  purpose  of  life.  They  built  nests,  and  from  that 
sprang  new  quarrels,  for  in  hot  countries  tempers  are  so  quick  ! 
Nevertheless,  it  was  all  delightful,  especially  to  the  old  ones. 
Everything  that  one's  own  youngsters  do  becomes  them. 
Every  day  there  was  sunshine  ;  every  day  was  so  much  taken 
up  with  eating  that  there  was  hardly  time  to  think  of  amuse- 
ment. 

But  inside  the  rich  palace  of  their  Egyptian  landlord,  as 
they  called  him,  joy  was  unknown.  Rich  and  mighty  lord, 
there  he  lay  on  a  couch,  his  limbs  rigid,  stretched  out  like  a 
14 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

mummy,  in  the  midst  of  the  great  hall  with  its  many-coloured 
walls ;  it  looked  just  as  if  he  was  lying  in  a  tulip.  His  kins- 
men and  servants  stood  around  him  ;  he  was  not  dead  ;  you 
could  not  call  him  alive  ;  he  existed.  The  healing  moss-flower 
from  the  northern  land,  which  should  have  been  searched  for 
and  gathered  by  her  who  loved  him  most  dearly,  would  never 
be  brought.  His  young  and  beautiful  daughter,  who  flew  in 
swan's-plumage  over  sea  and  land,  far  towards  the  north, 
would  never  return.  4  She  is  dead  and  gone  ! '  the  two  swan- 
maidens  had  told  him  on  their  return.  They  had  invented 
a  whole  history  of  it.  Said  they  : — 

4  We  all  three  flew  high  in  the  air  :  a  hunter  saw  us  and  shot 
an  arrow ;  it  struck  our  friend,  and  singing  her  farewell,  like 
a  dying  swan,  she  slowly  sank,  in  the  midst  of  a  forest  lake. 
There  we  buried  her,  near  the  shore  of  the  lake,  under  a  fragrant 
weeping-birch.  But  we  took  our  revenge  !  We  bound  fire 
under  the  wings  of  a  swallow  which  had  built  under  the  hunter's 
thatched  roof !  The  thatch  caught ;  the  house  blazed  up  ! 
He  was  burned  in  it,  and  the  light  shone  over  the  lake  as  far 
as  the  drooping  birch  tree  under  which  she  is  buried.  She 
will  never  come  back  to  the  land  of  Egypt.' 

And  so  they  both  wept ;  and  the  father-stork,  when  he 
heard  it,  chattered  with  his  beak  till  it  rattled  again. 

4  Lies  and  make-up  ! '  said  he.  'I  have  a  great  mind  to 
drive  my  beak  into  their  hearts.' 

4  And  break  it  off !  '  said  mother-stork.  4  And  what  good 
would  that  do  ?  Think  first  of  yourself  and  your  own  family  ; 
everything  else  is  of  no  consequence  ! ' 

4  However,  I  will  seat  myself  on  the  edge  of  the  open  court 
in  the  morning,  when  all  the  learned  doctors  are  met  to  talk 
about  the  illness.  Perhaps  they  will  come  a  little  nearer  the 
truth.' 

15 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

And  the  learned  doctors  came  together,  and  talked  and 
talked  all  about,  so  that  the  stork  could  not  make  head  or 
tail  of  it — nor  did  anything  come  of  it  for  the  sickness,  or  for 
the  daughter  in  the  moor  ;  but,  nevertheless,  we  shall  be  glad 
to  hear  something  about  it,  for  we  are  obliged  to  listen  to  a 
great  deal. 

But  now  it  will  be  a  very  good  thing  to  learn  what  had  gone 
before  this  meeting,  in  order  to  understand  the  story  better, 
for  at  least  we  know  as  much  as  father-stork. 

4  Love  brings  life  !  The  highest  love  supports  the  highest 
life  !  Only  through  love  will  he  be  able  to  secure  the  preserva- 
tion of  his  life  !  '  was  what  they  said ;  and  very  wisely  and 
well  said  it  was,  according  to  the  learned. 

4  That 's  a  pretty  thought ! '  said  father-stork. 

*  I  don't  rightly  understand  it !  '  said  mother-stork,  *  and 
it  isn't  my  fault,  but  the  expressions  !  However,  be  that  as 
it  may,  I  've  something  else  to  think  about ! ' 

Then  the  learned  men  had  spoken  of  love  for  one  thing  to 
another,  of  the  difference  there  is  between  the  affection  of 
lovers  and  that  of  parent  and  child ;  of  the  love  of  plant  and 
sunbeam,  where  the  rays  of  the  sun  touch  the  bud  and  the 
young  shoot  thus  comes  forth — all  this  was  expounded  at  such 
great  length  and  in  so  learned  a  way  that  it  was  impossible  for 
father-stork  to  follow  it,  much  less  to  repeat  it.  He  was  quite 
thoughtful  about  it,  and  half  closed  his  eyes  and  stood  on  one 
leg  a  whole  day  afterwards ;  such  learning  was  too  heavy  for 
him  to  bear. 

However,  he  understood  one  thing.  He  had  heard  both 
the  common  folk  and  those  of  the  highest  rank  say  the  same 
thing  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts — that  it  was  a  great 
misfortune  for  thousands  of  people,  for  the  country  at  large, 
that  this  man  should  be  ill  and  not  recover  ;  it  would  be  a  joy 
16 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

and  blessing  if  he  were  restored  to  health.  '  But  where  does 
the  flower  of  health  grow  for  him  ?  '  that  was  what  they  had 
all  inquired.  They  sought  it  from  the  scrolls  of  wisdom,  from 
the  twinkling  stars,  and  from  the  winds  ;  they  had  asked  in 
all  byways  where  they  might  find  it,  and  at  last  the  learned 
and  wise  announced,  as  we  have  said  :  '  Love  brings  forth 
life,  the  life  of  a  father,'  and  so  they  said  more  than  they  them- 
selves understood.  They  repeated  it,  and  wrote  it  as  a  pre- 
scription :  '  Love  brings  forth  life  ' ;  but  how  was  the  thing 
to  be  done  from  this  prescription  ?  There  lay  the  difficulty. 
At  length  they  came  to  an  agreement  about  it ;  the  help  must 
come  from  the  princess,  who  was  attached  to  her  father  with 
her  whole  soul  and  heart.  And  then  they  decided  how  it  was 
to  be  brought  about  (all  this  was  more  than  a  year  and  a  day 
before)  :  she  must  go  by  night,  at  the  new  moon,  to  the  marble 
sphinx  near  the  desert,  must  clear  away  the  sand  from  the 
door  with  her  feet,  and  then  go  through  the  long  passage 
that  led  into  the  middle  of  one  of  the  great  pyramids, 
where  in  his  mummy-case  lay  one  of  the  mighty  kings  of 
old,  surrounded  by  splendour  and  magnificence.  Here  she 
was  to  hold  her  ear  to  the  lips  of  the  dead,  and  then  it  would 
be  revealed  to  her  how  she  was  to  gain  life  and  health  for 
her  father. 

All  this  she  had  done,  and  had  learned  in  vision  that,  from 
the  deep  marsh  in  the  land  of  Denmark,  a  spot  most  clearly 
indicated,  she  might  bring  home  the  marsh-flower,  which  there 
in  the  depth  of  the  water  had  touched  her  breast.  Then  he 
would  be  healed.  So  she  flew  in  swan's  plumage  from  the  land 
of  Egypt  to  the  moor. 

You  see,  father-stork  and  mother-stork  were  aware  of  all 
this,  and  now  we  know  the  story  more  fully  than  before.  We 
remember  that  the  Marsh  King  dragged  her  down  to  him  ;  we 
B  17 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

know  that  for  those  at  home  she  is  dead  and  gone ;  only  the 
wisest  of  them  all  said  still,  with  mother-stork  :  '  She  takes 
good  care  of  herself  !  '  and  they  were  obliged  to  wait,  for  that 
was  all  they  knew  about  it. 

4 1  believe  I  can  steal  the  swans'  plumage  from  the  two 
good-for-nothing  princesses  !  '  said  father-stork,  4  then  they 
will  not  be  able  to  go  to  the  moor  to  work  mischief.  I  will  hide 
the  swans'  skins  themselves  till  they  are  wanted.' 

*  Where  will  you  hide  them  ?  '  asked  mother-stork. 

'  In  our  nest  on  the  moor  ! '  said  he.  '  I  and  the  youngest 
of  our  brood  can  be  helped  along  with  them,  and  if  they  are 
troublesome  to  us,  there  are  plenty  of  places  on  the  way  where 
we  can  hide  them  till  next  time  of  moving.  One  swan's  dress 
would  be  enough  for  her,  but  two  are  better  ;  it  is  well  to  have 
plenty  of  luggage  in  a  northern  climate  ! ' 

'  You  will  get  no  thanks  for  it ! '  said  mother-stork.  c  How- 
ever, you  are  the  master.  I  have  nothing  to  say,  except  when 
I  am  sitting.' 


In  the  Viking's  stronghold  near  the  moor,  whither  the  storks 
flew  at  the  spring,  the  little  girl  had  received  her  name.  They 
had  called  her  Helga,  but  that  was  far  too  sweet  for  such  a 
disposition  as  the  one  possessed  by  this  most  beautiful  child. 
Month  after  month  it  became  more  evident,  and  as  years 
went  by — whilst  the  storks  pursued  the  same  journey,  in 
autumn  towards  the  Nile,  in  spring  towards  the  moor— the 
little  child  became  a  grown  girl,  and  before  people  thought  of 
it,  she  was  in  her  sixteenth  year,  and  the  most  beautiful  of 
maidens.  But  the  fruit  was  a  beautiful  shell,  the  kernel  hard 
and  rough.  She  was  wilder  than  most  people  even  in  that 
hard  gloomy  age. 
18 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

It  was  a  delight  to  her  to  splash  with  her  white  hands  in 
the  hot  blood  of  the  horse  which  had  been  slaughtered  as  a 
sacrifice  ;  in  her  wildness  she  bit  off  the  neck  of  the  black  cock 
which  should  have  been  slain  by  the  heathen  priest ;  and  she 
said  in  sober  earnest  to  her  foster-father  : — 

4  If  thine  enemy  came  and  tied  a  rope  to  the  beams  of  the 
roof,  and  lifted  it  over  thy  chamber,  whilst  thou  wast  asleep,  I 
should  not  wake  thee,  even  if  I  could  !  I  would  not  hear  it,  my 
blood  still  so  hums  in  my  ears  where  thou  didst  slap  me  years 
ago  !  Thou  !  I  remember  ! ' 

But  the  Viking  did  not  believe  what  she  said  ;  he  was,  like 
the  others,  infatuated  with  her  beauty ;  and  he  did  not  know 
how  disposition  and  appearance  changed  in  little  Helga.  She 
would  sit  without  a  saddle,  as  if  she  had  grown  to  the  horse, 
when  it  galloped  at  full  speed ;  and  she  would  not  leap  off, 
even  when  it  fought  with  other  vicious  horses.  In  all  her 
clothes  she  would  often  cast  herself  from  the  bank  into  the 
strong  current  of  the  fjord  and  swim  to  meet  the  Viking 
when  his  boat  was  steering  towards  the  land.  She  cut  off 
the  longest  lock  from  her  beautiful  long  hair,  and  made  it 
into  a  string  for  her  bow.  '  Self-made  is  well  made  ! '  she 
said. 

The  Viking's  wife,  according  to  the  age  and  custom,  was 
strong  in  will  and  in  disposition,  but  towards  the  daughter 
she  seemed  a  mild,  anxious  woman,  for  she  knew  that  the 
dreadful  child  was  bewitched. 

When  her  mother  stood  on  the  balcony,  or  walked  out  into 
the  courtyard,  it  seemed  as  if  Helga  took  an  evil  delight  in 
placing  herself  on  the  edge  of  the  well,  extending  her  arms  and 
legs,  and  then  leaping  plump  into  the  narrow,  deep  hole,  where 
she,  with  her  frog-nature,  dived,  and  rose  again,  crawled  out, 
just  as  if  she  was  a  cat,  and  came,  dripping  with  water,  into  the 

19 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

lofty  hall,  so  that  the  green  leaves  which  were  scattered  on  the 
floor  floated  about  in  the  watery  stream. 

But  there  was  one  bond  that  restrained  little  Helga,  and 
that  was  the  dusk  of  the  evening.  Then  she  became  quiet  and 
pensive,  and  would  allow  herself  to  be  called  and  led.  She 
seemed  to  be  drawn  by  some  internal  feeling  to  her  mother,  and 
when  the  sun  went  down  and  the  transformation  without  and 
within  her  took  place,  she  sat  there  quiet  and  melancholy, 
shrunken  together  into  the  figure  of  a  toad.  Her  body,  indeed, 
was  now  far  larger  than  that  creature's,  but  it  was  only  so 
much  the  more  disgusting.  She  looked  like  a  miserable  dwarf 
with  frog's  head,  and  web  between  the  fingers.  There  was 
something  of  the  deepest  melancholy  in  the  expression  of  her 
eyes  ;  she  had  no  voice  but  a  hollow  moan,  just  like  a  child 
that  sobs  in  its  dreams.  The  Viking's  wife  could  then  take  her 
on  her  knees  :  she  forgot  the  ugly  form,  and  looked  only  at  the 
sorrowful  eyes,  and  more  than  once  she  said  :— 

4  I  could  wish  almost  that  thou  wast  always  my  dumb 
frog-child  !  Thou  art  more  frightful  to  look  at  when  thy 
beauty  returns  to  thee.' 

And  she  wrote  runes  against  witchcraft  and  disease,  and 
cast  them  over  the  wretched  girl,  but  she  saw  no  change. 

4  Now  that  she  is  a  full-grown  woman,  and  so  like  the 
Egyptian  mother,'  said  father-stork,  '  one  could  not  believe 
that  she  was  once  so  little  that  she  lay  in  a  water-lily.  We 
have  never  seen  her  mother  since  !  She  did  not  take  care  of 
herself,  as  you  and  the  learned  men  thought.  Year  out,  year 
in,  I  have  flown  now  in  all  directions  over  the  moor,  but  she 
has  never  made  any  sign.  Yes,  let  me  tell  you  that  every  year 
when  I  have  come  up  here  some  days  ahead  of  you,  to  mend 
the  nest  and  put  one  thing  and  another  straight,  I  have  flown 
for  a  whole  night,  like  an  owl  or  a  bat,  to  and  fro  over  the  open 
20 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

water,  but  it  was  no  use  !  Nor  have  the  two  swan-dresses 
been  any  use  which  the  young  ones  and  I  dragged  hither  from 
the  land  of  the  Nile.  Toilsome  work  it  was,  and  it  took  us 
three  journeys  to  do  it.  They  have  now  lain  for  many  years 
at  the  bottom  of  the  nest,  and  if  such  a  disaster  as  a  fire  should 
happen  at  any  time,  and  the  log-house  be  burnt,  they  would 
be  lost !  ' 

'  And  our  good  nest  would  be  lost  also ! '  said  mother-stork. 
4  You  think  too  little  of  that,  and  too  much  of  the  feather-dress, 
and  your  moss-princess  !  You  had  better  take  it  to  her  and 
stay  in  the  bog  !  You  are  a  useless  father  to  your  own  family  ; 
I  have  said  that  ever  since  I  sat  on  an  egg  for  the  first  time  !  I 
only  hope  that  we  or  our  young  ones  may  not  get  an  arrow 
in  the  wing  from  that  mad  Viking  girl !  She  does  not  know 
what  she  is  doing.  We  have  lived  here  a  little  longer  than  she, 
she  should  remember  !  We  never  forget  our  obligations  ;  we 
pay  our  taxes  yearly,  a  feather,  an  egg,  and  a  young  one,  as 
is  right.  Do  you  think,  when  she  is  outside,  I  feel  inclined  to 
go  down  there,  as  in  the  old  days,  and  as  I  do  in  Egypt,  where  I 
am  half  a  companion  with  them,  without  their  forgetting  me, 
and  peep  into  tub  and  pot  ?  No,  I  sit  up  here  worrying  myself 
about  her — the  hussy  ! — and  about  you  too  !  You  ought  to 
have  let  her  lie  in  the  water-lily,  and  there  would  have  been  an 
end  of  her  !  ' 

4  You  are  kinder  than  your  words  ! '  said  father-stork.  '  I 
know  you  better  than  you  know  yourself.' 

And  so  he  gave  a  jump,  two  heavy  strokes  of  his  wings, 
stretched  his  legs  behind  him,  and  off  he  flew.  He  sailed  away, 
without  moving  his  wings.  At  a  good  distance  off  he  gave  a 
powerful  stroke  ;  the  sun  shone  on  his  white  feathers  ;  he 
stretched  his  neck  and  head  forward  !  That  was  speed  and 
flight ! 

21 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

1  But  he  is  still  the  handsomest  of  them  all !  '  said  the 
mother-stork,  '  only  I  don't  tell  him  that.' 

****** 

Early  that  autumn  the  Viking  came  home  with  spoil  and 
captives.  Among  these  was  a  young  Christian  priest,  one  of 
those  men  who  preached  against  the  idols  of  the  northern 
countries.  Often  at  that  period  did  the  talk  in  the  hall  and  in 
the  bower  of  the  women  refer  to  the  new  faith,  which  had  made 
its  way  into  all  the  countries  of  the  south,  and  by  the  holy 
Anskarius  had  been  brought  even  to  Haddeby  on  the  Schlei. 
Helga  herself  had  heard  of  the  faith  in  the  White  Christ,  who 
out  of  love  to  men  had  given  Himself  to  save  them ;  but  for 
her,  as  they  say,  it  had  gone  in  at  one  ear  and  out  at  the  other. 
She  seemed  to  have  only  a  perception  of  that  word  '  love  ' 
when  she  crouched  in  that  closed  room  in  her  miserable  frog- 
form.  But  the  Viking's  wife  had  listened  to  it,  and  felt  herself 
wonderfully  affected  by  the  story  and  traditions  of  the  Son  of 
the  only  true  God.  The  men,  on  coming  home  from  their 
expedition,  had  told  of  the  splendid  temples  of  costly  hewn 
stone,  erected  for  Him  whose  message  was  love ;  and  they 
brought  home  with  them  a  pair  of  heavy  golden  vessels, 
elaborately  pierced,  and  with  a  fragrant  odour  about  them,  for 
they  were  censers,  which  the  Christian  priests  used  to  swing 
before  the  altar  where  no  blood  was  ever  shed,  but  wine  and 
consecrated  bread  changed  into  His  body  and  blood  who  had 
given  Himself  for  generations  yet  unborn. 

In  the  deep  paved  cellar  of  the  log  house  the  young  captive 
Christian  priest  was  confined,  his  feet  and  hands  securely 
bound.  The  Viking's  wife  said  that  he  was  '  as  fair  as  Baldur,' 
and  she  was  touched  by  his  distress  ;  but  young  Helga  wished 
that  a  rope  should  be  drawn  through  his  legs,  and  that  he  should 
be  tied  to  the  tails  of  wild  oxen. 
22 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

4  Then  I  would  set  the  dogs  loose.  Halloo  !  away  over 
bog  and  fen,  out  to  the  moor !  That  would  be  jolly  to  see  ! 
jollier  still  to  be  able  to  follow  him  on  his  course  ! ' 

But  the  Viking  did  not  choose  that  he  should  be  put  to 
death  that  way,  but,  as  a  denier  and  opposer  of  the  high  gods, 
he  should  be  offered  the  next  morning  on  the  blood-stone  in 
the  grove — the  first  time  that  a  human  sacrifice  had  been 
offered  there. 

Young  Helga  asked  that  she  might  sprinkle  the  images  of 
the  gods  and  the  people  with  his  blood.  She  sharpened  her 
gleaming  knife,  and  when  one  of  the  great,  ferocious  dogs,  of 
which  there  were  a  good  many  in  the  court-yard,  ran  across 
her  feet,  she  drove  the  knife  into  its  side.  '  That  is  to  test  it,' 
said  she ;  and  the  Viking's  wife  looked  sadly  at  the  wild,  ill- 
tempered  girl,  and,  when  the  night  came,  and  the  beautiful 
bodily  form  of  her  daughter  was  changed  for  the  beauty  of 
soul,  she  spoke  glowing  words  of  sorrow  to  her  from  her  own 
afflicted  spirit. 

The  hideous  toad  with  the  goblin's  body  stood  before  her, 
and  fixed  its  brown,  sorrowful  eyes  on  her ;  listening  and 
seeming  to  understand  with  the  intelligence  of  a  human 
being. 

'  Never,  even  to  my  husband,  has  a  word  fallen  from  my 
tongue  about  the  twofold  nature  I  endure  in  thee,'  said  the 
Viking's  wife.  '  There  is  more  pity  in  my  heart  for  thee  than 
I  could  have  believed  !  Great  is  the  love  of  a  mother ;  but 
affection  never  comes  into  thy  mind !  Thy  heart  is  like 
the  cold  clod !  Whence  didst  thou  then  come  into  my 
house  ?  ' 

At  that  the  hideous  form  trembled  and  shook.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  word  touched  some  connexion  between  body  and 
soul ;  great  tears  came  into  its  eyes. 

23 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  Thy  bitter  trial  will  come  some  time  !  '  said  the  Viking's 
wife  ;  '  and  terrible  will  it  be  for  me  !  Better  hadst  thou  been 
abandoned  on  the  highway  as  a  child,  and  the  night-frost  had 
lulled  thee  into  death  !  '  And  the  Viking's  wife  wept  bitter 
tears,  and,  wrathful  and  sad,  passed  behind  the  loose  curtains 
which  hung  over  the  beam  and  divided  the  room. 

The  shrunken  toad  sat  alone  in  the  corner.  There  was 
silence,  but  after  a  short  interval  there  came  from  her  breast  a 
half-smothered  sigh.  It  was  as  if,  painfully,  a  soul  awoke  to 
life  in  a  corner  of  her  heart.  She  took  one  step  forward, 
listened,  took  another  step,  and  then  with  her  awkward  hands 
she  seized  the  heavy  bar  that  was  placed  before  the  door. 
Gently  she  put  it  back,  and  quietly  she  drew  out  the  peg  that 
was  stuck  in  over  the  latch.  She  took  the  lighted  lamp  that 
stood  in  front  of  the  rooms  ;  it  seemed  as  if  a  strong  will  gave 
her  power.  She  drew  "the  iron  pin  out  of  the  bolted  shutter, 
and  moved  gently  towards  the  prisoner.  He  was  asleep.  She 
touched  him  with  her  cold,  damp  hand,  and  when  he  awoke 
and  saw  that  hideous  form,  he  shuddered,  as  if  at  an  evil  vision. 
She  drew  her  knife,  severed  his  bonds,  and  made  signs  to  him 
to  follow  her. 

He  called  upon  the  holy  Name,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  as  the  figure  stood  unchanged,  he  repeated  the  words  of 
the  Bible  :- 

'  "  The  Lord  will  preserve  him  and  keep  him  alive  :  the 
Lord  will  deliver  him  in  time  of  trouble."  Who  art  thou  ? 
Whence  is  this  reptile  shape  that  yet  is  so  full  of  deeds  of 
compassion  ?  ' 

The  toad-figure  beckoned  and  guided  him  behind  shelter- 
ing curtains  by  a  solitary  way  out  to  the  stable,  pointed  at  a 
horse  ;  he  mounted  it,  and  she  seated  herself  before  him  and 
held  on  by  the  mane  of  the  animal.  The  prisoner  understood 
24 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

her,  and  they  rode  away  at  a  quick  trot,  by  a  path  he  would 
never  have  discovered,  out  to  the  open  heath. 

He  forgot  her  hideous  form,  for  the  favour  and  mercy  of 
the  Lord  were  acting  through  this  hobgoblin.  He  offered  up 
pious  prayers,  and  began  to  sing  holy  songs  ;  and  she  trembled  ; 
was  it  the  power  of  the  prayers  and  hymns  that  acted  upon  her  ? 
or  was  it  the  coldness  of  the  morning  which  was  so  quickly 
coming  ?  What  was  it  that  she  felt  ?  She  raised  herself  up 
in  the  breeze,  and  wished  to  stop  the  horse  and  spring  off ;  but 
the  Christian  priest  held  her  fast  with  all  his  strength,  and  sang 
aloud  a  Psalm,  as  if  that  would  have  power  to  loose  the  spell 
that  held  her  in  that  hideous  frog  shape,  and  the  horse  galloped 
forward  yet  more  wildly.  The  heaven  became  red  ;  the  first 
ray  of  the  sun  shot  through  the  cloud,  and  with  that  clear  spring 
of  light  came  the  change  of  form — she  was  the  beautiful  young 
girl  with  the  demoniac,  evil  temper  !  In  his  arms  he  held  a 
peerless  maiden,  and  in  utter  terror  he  sprang  from  the  horse 
and  stopped  it,  for  he  thought  he  was  encountering  a  new  and 
deadly  witchcraft.  But  young  Helga  at  the  same  time  leapt 
to  the  ground  ;  the  short  child's  frock  reached  only  to  her 
knees  ;  she  drew  the  sharp  knife  from  her  belt,  and  rushed  at 
the  startled  man. 

c  Let  me  get  at  you  !  '  she  cried  ;  '  let  me  get  at  you,  and 
you  shall  feel  the  knife.  Yes,  you  are  as  pale  as  hay  !  Slave  ! 
Beardless  boy  !  ' 

She  pressed  him  hard ;  they  were  engaged  in  a  severe 
conflict,  but  it  was  as  if  an  unseen  power  gave  strength  to  the 
Christian.  He  held  her  fast,  and  the  old  oak  tree  hard  by  came 
to  his  help,  for  its  roots,  half  loosened  from  the  earth,  caught 
her  feet  as  they  slipped  under  them.  A  spring  gushed  forth 
quite  close  to  them  ;  he  sprinkled  her  with  the  fresh  water 
on  breast  and  face,  and  charged  the  unclean  spirit  to  come  out 

25 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

of  her,  signing  her  with  the  cross,  according  to  the  Christian 
rite.  But  the  water  of  baptism  had  no  power  there,  where  the 
spring  of  faith  had  not  yet  arisen  within. 

Yet  herein  also  was  he  strong  ;  more  than  a  man's  strength 
against  the  rival  power  of  evil  lay  in  his  act,  and  as  if  it  over- 
whelmed her,  she  dropped  her  arms,  looked  with  a  surprised 
glance  and  pale  cheeks  at  him,  who  seemed  a  powerful  sorcerer, 
strong  in  wizardry  and  secret  lore.  They  were  dark  runes 
which  he  spoke,  mystic  signs  which  he  was  making  in  the  air  ! 
She  would  not  have  blinked  if  he  had  swung  an  axe  or  a  sharp 
knife  before  her  eyes,  but  she  did  when  he  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  on  her  forehead  and  breast ;  she  now  sat  like  a  tame  bird, 
her  head  bowed  down  on  her  bosom. 

Gently  he  told  her  of  the  work  of  love  she  had  done  for 
him  in  the  night,  that  she  had  come  in  the  hideous  skin  of  a 
frog,  and  had  loosed  his  bonds,  and  brought  him  out  to  light 
and  life.  He  said  that  she  also  was  bound — bound  in  a  closer 
bondage  than  he  had  been,  but  she,  too,  with  him  should  come 
to  light  and  life.  He  would  bring  her  to  Haddeby,  to  the  holy 
Anskarius.  There,  in  the  Christian  city,  the  enchantment 
would  be  broken.  But  he  would  not  dare  to  carry  her  in  front 
of  him  on  the  horse,  although  she  herself  was  willing  to  sit 
there. 

4  You  must  sit  behind  me  on  the  horse,  not  in  front  of  me  ! 
Thy  witch-beauty  has  a  power  that  is  from  the  evil  one.  I 
dread  it — and  yet  there  is  victory  for  me  in  Christ ! ' 

He  bent  his  knees  and  prayed  gently  and  earnestly.  It 
was  as  if  the  silent  glades  of  the  forest  were  consecrated  thereby 
into  a  holy  church.  The  birds  began  t  sing  as  if  they  belonged 
to  a  new  brotherhood ;  the  mint  poured  forth  its  fragrance 
as  if  it  would  take  the  place  of  incense.  The  priest  proclaimed 
aloud  the  words  of  Holy  Writ : — 
26 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 


j 

I 


'  "  The  Dayspring  from  on  high 
hath  visited  us,  to  give  light  to 
them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  in 
the  shadow  of  death,  and  to  guide 
our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace  !  "  ' 

And  he  spoke  about  the  long- 
ing of  the  whole  Creation,  and 
whilst  he  spoke  the  horse,  which 
had  carried  them  in  its  wild  race, 
stood  quiet,  and  shook  the  great 
brambles,  so  that  the  ripe,  juicy 
berries  fell  on  little  Helga's  hand, 
offering  themselves  for  her  refresh- 
ment. 

Patiently  she  let  herself  be  lifted 
on  to  the  back  of  the  horse,  and 
sat  there  like  one  walks  in  his 
sleep,  who  is  not  awake,  but  yet  is 
not  moving  in  his  dream.  The 
Christian  fastened  two  boughs  to- 
gether with  a  strip  of  bark  to  form 
a  cross,  and  held  it  aloft  in  his 
hands.  So  they  rode  through  the 
forest,  which  became  denser  as  the 
way  grew  deeper,  or  rather,  there 
was  no  way  at  all.  Sloes  grew 
across  the  path ;  one  was  obliged 
to  ride  around  them.  The  spring 

did  not  become  a  running  brook,  but  a  standing  bog,  and 
one  had  to  ride  around  that.  There  was  strength  and  re- 
freshment in  the  fresh  forest  air ;  there  was  not  less  power 
in  the  word  of  gentleness  which  sounded  in  faith  and  Christian 

27 


THERE    WAS    A    LITTLE    BIRD 
THAT    BEAT    ITS   WINGS 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

love,  in  the  heartfelt  desire  to  bring  the  possessed  to  light 
and  life. 

They  say  that  the  drops  of  rain  can  hollow  the  hard  stone, 
the  billows  of  the  sea  can  in  time  wear  smooth  the  broken, 
sharp-edged  pieces  of  rock.  The  dew  of  Grace,  which  had 
descended  upon  little  Helga,  pierced  the  hardness  and  rounded 
the  ruggedness  of  her  nature,  although  it  was  not  yet  evident, 
and  she  was  not  yet  aware  of  it  herself.  But  what  does  the 
germ  in  the  earth  know  of  the  refreshing  moisture  and  the 
warm  rays  of  the  sun,  while  yet  it  is  hiding  within  itself  plant 
and  flower  ? 

As  a  mother's  song  for  her  child  imperceptibly  fastens 
itself  into  its  mind,  and  it  babbles  single  words  after 
her,  without  understanding  them,  although  they  afterwards 
collect  themselves  in  its  thoughts,  and  become  clear  in  the 
course  of  time,  so  in  her  the  Word  worked  which  is  able 
to  create. 

They  rode  out  of  the  forest,  away  over  the  heath,  again 
through  pathless  forest,  and  towards  evening  they  met  some 
robbers. 

4  Where  have  you  stolen  that  fair  maiden  ?  '  they  shouted  ; 
they  stopped  the  horse,  and  snatched  the  two  riders  from  it, 
for  they  were  strong  men.  The  priest  had  no  other  weapon 
than  the  knife  which  he  had  taken  from  little  Helga  to  defend 
himself  with  ;  one  of  the  robbers  swung  his  axe,  but  the  young 
Christian  avoided  it,  and  lightly  sprang  aside,  or  he  would  have 
been  struck  ;  but  the  edge  of  the  axe  sank  deep  into  the  horse's 
neck,  so  that  the  blood  streamed  out,  and  the  animal  fell  to 
the  earth.  Then  little  Helga  started,  as  if  awakened  out  of  a 
long,  deep  meditation,  and  threw  herself  down  on  the  expiring 
animal.  The  Christian  priest  placed  himself  before  her  in 
order  to  defend  her,  but  one  of  the  robbers  dashed  a  ponderous 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

iron  mace  against  his  forehead,  crushing  it.     The  blood  and 
brains  spurted  around,  and  he  fell  dead  to  the  earth. 

The  robbers  seized  little  Helga  by  her  white  arm.  At  that 
moment  the  sun  went  down,  and  as  the  last  ray  faded,  she  was 
changed  to  a  hideous  toad.  Her  greenish  mouth  opened  across 
half  her  face  ;  her  arms  became  thin  and  slimy,  and  her  hands 
grew  broad  and  covered  with  webbing.  Terror  seized  the 
robbers  at  the  sight.  She  stood  among  them,  a  hideous 
monster ;  then,  frog-like,  hopped  away,  with  bounds  higher 
than  she  was  herself,  and  vanished  in  the  thicket.  The  robbers 
knew  it  for  an  evil  trick  of  Loge,  or  secret  magic  art,  and  hurried 
away  in  affright. 


The  full  moon  was  already  rising,  and  soon  shone  forth  in 
splendour,  and  little  Helga  crept  forth  from  the  thicket  in  the 
skin  of  a  wretched  toad.  She  stood  by  the  bodies  of  the 
Christian  priest  and  of  the  horse,  and  she  looked  at  them  with 
eyes  that  seemed  to  weep.  Her  frog's  head  uttered  a  moan 
like  a  child  beginning  to  cry.  She  threw  herself  now  upon  one, 
now  upon  the  other ;  she  took  water  in  her  hand,  which  the 
webbed  skin  had  made  larger  and  more  hollow,  and  poured  it 
over  them.  They  were  dead,  and  would  remain  dead ;  she 
understood  that.  Wild  animals  would  soon  come  and  devour 
their  bodies  ;  but  that  must  not  be  !  So  she  dug  in  the  earth 
as  deep  as  she  could.  To  open  a  grave  for  them  was  her  wish, 
but  she  had  nothing  to  dig  it  with  except  a  strong  bough  of  a 
tree  and  her  weak  hands ;  but  on  them  there  was  webbing 
stretched  between  her  fingers.  She  tore  it,  and  the  blood 
flowed.  These  means  would  be  of  no  use,  she  could  see.  Then 
she  took  water  and  washed  the  dead  man's  face,  covered  it 
with  fresh  green  leaves,  fetched  great  boughs  and  laid  them 

29 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

over  him,  shook  leaves  between  them,  then  took  the  heaviest 
stones  she  was  able  to  lift,  laid  them  over  the  dead  bodies,  and 
filled  up  the  openings  with  moss.  Then  the  mound  seemed 
strong  and  protected,  but  this  arduous  task  had  occupied  the 
entire  night — the  sun  now  burst  forth,  and  little  Helga  stood 
in  all  her  beauty,  with  bleeding  hands,  and,  for  the  first  time, 
with  tears  on  her  flushed  maiden  cheeks. 

In  this  transformation,  it  seemed  as  if  the  two  natures 
struggled  within  her.  She  trembled,  and  gazed  around  her  as 
if  she  had  awoke  from  a  frightful  dream.  Running  to  a  slender 
beech,  she  held  fast  to  it  for  support,  then  climbed  to  the  top 
of  the  tree,  as  lithely  as  a  cat,  and  clung  fast  to  it.  There  she 
sat  like  a  frightened  squirrel,  sat  there  all  through  the  long  day 
hi  the  deep  solitude  of  the  forest,  where  all  is  still  and  death- 
like as  they  say.  Yet  a  pair  of  butterflies  fluttered  about  at 
play  or  in  quarrel ;  there  were  ant-hills  close  by  with  many 
hundreds  of  busy  little  creatures  that  crowded  backwards  and 
forwards.  Countless  gnats  danced  in  the  air,  swarm  upon 
swarm  ;  hosts  of  buzzing  flies  chased  each  other  about ;  birds, 
dragon-flies,  and  other  small  winged  creatures  filled  the  air. 
The  earth-worm  crept  out  from  the  moist  soil,  the  mole  raised 
itself  above  the  ground.  In  all  else  it  was  still  and  death-like 
around,  or  what  one  calls  death-like  indeed  !  Nothing  took 
any  notice  of  little  Helga,  except  the  jays,  which  flew  scream- 
big  around  the  top  of  the  tree  where  she  was  sitting.  They 
jumped  along  the  branches  near  her  in  daring  inquisitiveness. 
One  glance  of  her  eye  was  enough  to  chase  them  away  again ; 
but  they  could  not  quite  make  her  out,  neither  could  she  under- 
stand herself. 

When  evening  was  near,  and  the  sun  began  to  go  down,  her 
approaching  change  called  her  to  movement  again.  She  let 
herself  slide  down  from  the  tree,  and  when  the  last  ray  of  the 
30 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

sun  disappeared,  she  sat  there  in  the  toad's  shrunken  form, 
with  the  webbed  skin  of  her  hands  lacerated,  but  her  eyes 
now  sparkled  with  a  brilliancy  of  beauty  which  they  had 
scarcely  possessed  before,  even  in  her  beautiful  human 
shape.  They  were  now  the  gentle  eyes  of  a  pious  maiden 
that  looked  from  behind  the  reptile's  outward  shape,  and 
told  of  a  deepened  mind,  of  a  true  human  heart.  The 
beautiful  eyes  swam  with  tears,  heavy  tears  that  relieved 
her  heart. 

The  cross  of  boughs  bound  together  with  a  strip  of  bark, 
the  last  work  of  him  who  now  lay  dead  and  buried,  was  still 
lying  on  the  grave  she  had  made.  Little  Helga  now  took  it, 
at  some  unprompted  impulse,  and  planted  it  amongst  the 
stones,  over  him  and  the  slain  horse.  The  sadness  of  the 
recollection  brought  tears  to  her  eyes,  and  with  the  grief  in  her 
heart  she  traced  the  same  sign  in  the  earth  around  the  grave 
that  so  honourably  enclosed  the  dead.  As  with  both  hands  she 
traced  the  sign  of  the  cross,  the  webbing  fell  off  like  a  torn 
glove  !  She  washed  herself  in  the  water  of  the  spring,  and 
looked  with  astonishment  at  her  fine  white  hands.  Again  she 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross  in  the  air  between  herself  and  the 
grave ;  her  lips  quivered,  her  tongue  moved,  and  that  Name, 
which  she  had  heard  pronounced  most  frequently  on  her  ride 
through  the  forest,  came  audibly  from  her  mouth — she  said, 
4  Jesus  Christ !  ' 

The  toad's  skin  fell  off :  she  was  a  beautiful  young  maiden  ; 
but  her  head  drooped  wearily,  her  limbs  needed  repose — she 
slept. 

Her  slumber  was  short ;  at  midnight  she  awoke.  The  dead 
horse  was  standing  before  her,  shining,  and  full  of  life,  that 
gleamed  in  light  from  its  eyes  and  from  its  wounded  neck. 
Close  by  she  saw  the  murdered  Christian  priest, '  more  beautiful 

31 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

than  Baldur  !  '  as  the  Viking's  wife  would  have  said  ;  and  he 
appeared  surrounded  with  a  glory  of  fire. 

There  was  an  earnest  look  in  his  large,  gentle  eyes,  just  and 
searching,  so  penetrating  a  gaze  that  it  seemed  to  shine  into 
the  inmost  recesses  of  her  heart.  Little  Helga  trembled  before 
it,  and  her  memory  was  awakened  with  a  power  as  if  it  was 
the  Day  of  Judgment.  Every  kind  action  that  had  been  done 
for  her,  every  kindly  word  that  had  been  spoken  to  her,  seemed 
endued  with  life  ;  she  understood  that  it  was  mercy  which  had 
taken  care  of  her  during  her  days  of  trial,  in  which  the  child 
of  spirit  and  clay  works  and  strives.  She  owned  that  she  had 
only  followed  the  bent  of  her  own  desire,  and  had  done  nothing 
on  her  own  part.  Everything  had  been  given  to  her,  every- 
thing had  been  allowed,  so  to  speak.  She  bowed  herself 
humbly,  ashamed  before  Him  who  alone  can  read  the  hidden 
things  of  the  heart ;  and  in  that  instant  there  seemed  to  come 
to  her  a  fiery  touch  of  purifying  flame — the  flame  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

4  Thou  daughter  of  the  mire,'  said  the  Christian  priest, 
4  from  the  mire,  from  the  earth  thou  art  sprung ;  from  earth 
thou  shalt  again  arise.  The  fire  within  thee  returns  in  person- 
ality to  its  source ;  the  ray  is  not  from  the  sun,  but  from  God. 
No  soul  shall  perish,  but  far  distant  is  the  time  when  life  shall 
be  merged  in  eternity.  I  come  from  the  land  of  the  dead  ;  so 
shalt  thou  at  some  time  travel  through  the  deep  valley  to  the 
shining  hill-country,  where  grace  and  fulness  dwell.  I  may 
not  lead  thee  to  Hadde  for  Christian  baptism.  First  thou 
must  burst  the  water-shield  over  the  deep  moorland,  and 
draw  up  the  living  root  that  gave  thee  life  and  cradled  thee. 
Thou  must  do  thy  work  before  the  consecration  may  come  to 
thee.' 

And  he  lifted  her  on  to  the  horse,  handed  her  a  golden 
32 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

censer,  like  that  which  she  had  seen  in  the  Viking's  castle, 
from  which  there  came  a  sweet,  strong  fragrance.  The  open 
wound  on  the  forehead  of  the  slain  shone  like  a  radiant  diadem. 
He  took  the  cross  from  the  grave,  raised  it  on  high ;  and  now 
they  went  off  through  the  air,  over  the  rustling  forest,  then 
over  the  mounds  where  the  warriors  were  buried,  sitting  on 
their  dead  steeds ;  and  these  majestic  forms  arose,  and  rode 
out  to  the  tops  of  the  hills.  A  broad  golden  hoop  with  a  gold 
knob  gleamed  on  their  foreheads  in  the  moonlight,  and  their 
cloaks  fluttered  in  the  wind.  The  dragon  that  sits  and  broods 
over  treasure  raised  its  head,  and  looked  after  them.  Dwarfs 
peered  forth  from  the  hills,  and  the  furrows  swarmed  with 
red,  blue,  and  green  lights,  like  a  cluster  of  sparks  in  a  burnt 
piece  of  paper. 

Away  over  wood  and  heath,  stream  and  pool,  they  flew 
to  the  moor,  and  floated  over  that  in  great  circles.  The 
Christian  priest  raised  the  cross  on  high ;  it  shone  like  gold, 
and  from  his  lips  came  the  eucharistic  chant.  Little  Helga 
sang  with  him,  as  a  child  joins  in  the  song  of  its  mother.  She 
swung  the  censer,  and  there  came  a  fragrance  as  if  from  an 
altar,  so  powerful,  so  subtly  operating,  that  the  rushes  and 
reeds  of  the  moor  put  forth  their  flowers.  All  the  germs 
sprang  up  from  the  deep  soil ;  everything  that  had  life 
arose.  A  veil  of  water-lilies  spread  itself  like  an  embroidered 
carpet  of  flowers,  and  on  it  lay  a  sleeping  woman,  young 
and  beautiful.  Little  Helga  thought  she  saw  herself  mirrored 
in  the  still  water ;  but  it  was  her  mother  that  she  saw, 
the  Marsh  King's  wife,  the  princess  from  the  waters  of 
the  Nile. 

The  dead  Christian  priest  bade  the  sleeper  be  lifted  on  to 
the  horse  ;  but  that  sank  under  the  burden  as  if  its  body  was 
only  a  winding-sheet  flying  in  the  breeze  ;  but  the  sign  of  the 
C  33 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

cross  made  the  airy  phantom  strong,  and  all  three  rode  to  the 
firm  ground. 

A  cock  crowed  in  the  Viking's  stronghold.  The  phantoms 
rose  up  in  the  mist,  and  were  dispersed  in  the  wind,  but  mother 
and  daughter  stood  there  together. 

4  Is  that  myself  that  I  see  in  the  deep  water  ?  J  said  the 
mother. 

'  Is  that  myself  that  I  see  in  the  bright  shield  ?  J  exclaimed 
the  daughter ;  and  they  came  close  together,  breast  to  breast 
in  each  other's  arms.  The  mother's  heart  beat  strongest,  and 
she  understood  it  all. 

4  My  child  !  My  own  heart's  flower  !  My  lotus  from  the 
deep  waters  ! ' 

And  she  embraced  her  child,  and  wept  over  her ;  and  the 
tears  were  as  a  baptism  of  new  life  and  affection  for  little 
Helga. 

4 1  came  hither  in  a  swan's  skin,  and  I  took  it  off,'  said  the 
mother.  4 1  sank  through  the  quivering  swamp,  deep  into  the 
mire  of  the  bog,  that  enclosed  me  as  with  a  wall.  But  soon  I 
found  a  fresher  current  about  me ;  a  power  seemed  to  draw 
me  ever  deeper  and  deeper.  I  felt  a  pressure  of  sleep  on 
my  eyelids;  I  slept,  I  dreamt — I  seemed  to  lie  again  in  the 
pyramids  of  Egypt ;  but  there  still  stood  before  me  the  moving 
elder-stump,  which  had  frightened  me  on  the  surface  of  the 
moor.  I  looked  at  the  crevices  in  the  bark,  and  they  shone 
forth  in  colours  and  became  hieroglyphics — it  was  the  case  of 
a  mummy  which  I  was  looking  at.  That  burst,  and  out  of  it 
stepped  a  lord  a  thousand  years  old,  a  mummy  form,  black 
as  pitch,  shining  black  like  a  wood-snail  or  the  slimy  black 
mud — the  Marsh  King,  or  the  mummy  of  the  pyramid,  I  did 
not  know  which.  He  flung  his  arms  about  me,  and  I  felt  that 
I  should  die.  When  I  first  returned  to  life  again,  and  my 
34 


PLACED    THE    GOLDEN    CIRCUIT    ABOUT    HIS    NECK 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

breast  became  warm,  there  was  a  little  bird  which  beat  its 
wings,  and  twittered  and  sang.  It  flew  up  from  my  breast 
towards  the  dark,  heavy  roof,  but  a  long  green  band  still 
fastened  it  to  me.  I  heard  and  understood  its  longing  notes  : 
"  Liberty  !  sunshine  !  to  my  father  ! >!  Then  I  thought  of  my 
father  in  the  sun-lit  land  of  my  home,  my  life,  my  affection  ! 
and  I  loosed  the  band  and  let  him  flutter  away — home  to  his 
father.  Since  that  hour  I  have  not  dreamed ;  I  slept  a  long 
and  heavy  sleep  till  the  moment  when  the  sounds  and  fragrance 
arose  and  raised  me.' 

That  green  band  from  the  mother's  heart  to  the  bird's 
wings,  whither  had  it  passed  now  ?  where  was  it  lying  cast 
away  ?  Only  the  stork  had  seen  it.  The  band  was  that  green 
stalk ;  the  knot  was  that  shining  flower  which  served  as  a 
cradle  for  the  child  who  now  had  grown  in  beauty,  and  again 
reposed  near  the  mother's  heart. 

And  whilst  they  stood  there  in  close  embrace,  the  father- 
stork  flew  in  circles  about  them,  made  speed  to  his  nest,  fetched 
from  thence  the  feather-dresses  kept  for  so  many  years  and 
threw  one  over  each  of  them  ;  and  they  flew,  and  raised  them- 
selves from  the  earth  like  two  white  swans. 

'  Let  us  talk,'  said  father-stork,  '  now  that  we  can  under- 
stand each  other's  speech,  although  the  beak  is  cut  differently 
on  one  bird  and  on  the  other  !  It  is  the  most  lucky  thing 
possible  that  you  came  to-night.  In  the  morning  we  should 
have  been  off,  mother,  and  I,  and  the  young  ones  !  We  are 
flying  to  the  South  !  Yes,  look  at  me  !  I  am  an  old  friend 
from  the  land  of  the  Nile,  and  that  is  the  mother ;  she  has 
more  in  her  heart  than  in  her  chatter.  She  always  believed 
that  the  princess  was  only  taking  care  of  herself.  I  and  the 
young  ones  have  brought  the  swan-skins  here.  Well,  how 
glad  I  am  !  And  what  a  fortunate  thing  it  is  that  I  am  here 
36 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

still !  At  daybreak  we  shall  set  off,  a  large  party  of  storks. 
We  fly  in  front ;  you  can  fly  behind,  and  then  you  will  not 
mistake  the  way.  I  and  the  young  ones  will  then  be  able  to 
keep  an  eye  upon  you  ! ' 

'  And  the  lotus  flower,  that  I  ought  to  bring,'  said  the 
Egyptian  princess,  '  it  flies  in  swan's  plumage  by  my  side  ! 
I  have  the  flower  of  my  heart  with  me ;  thus  it  has  released 
itself.  Homeward  !  homeward  ! ' 

But  Helga  said  that  she  could  not  leave  the  land  of  Denmark 
till  she  had  once  more  seen  her  foster-mother,  the  kind  wife 
of  the  Viking.  In  Helga's  thoughts  came  up  every  beautiful 
remembrance,  every  affectionate  word,  every  tear  which  her 
foster-mother  had  shed,  and  it  almost  seemed  at  that  instant 
as  if  she  clung  closest  to  that  mother. 

6  Yes,  we  will  go  to  the  Viking's  house,'  said  the  stork- 
father.  '  There  I  expect  mother  and  the  young  ones.  How 
they  will  open  their  eyes  and  chatter  about  it !  Yes,  mother 
doesn't  say  so  very  much ;  what  she  does  is  short  and  pithy, 
and  so  she  thinks  the  best !  I  will  sound  the  rattle  directly, 
so  that  she  will  hear  we  are  coming.' 

And  so  father-stork  chattered  his  beak,  and  flew  with  the 
swans  to  the  Viking's  stronghold. 

Every  one  there  was  lying  deep  in  slumber.  The  Viking's 
wife  had  not  gone  to  rest  till  late  that  night ;  she  was  still  in 
fear  for  little  Helga,  who  had  disappeared  three  days  ago  with 
the  Christian  priest.  She  must  have  helped  him  to  escape,  for 
it  was  her  horse  that  was  missing  from  the  stable.  By  what 
power  had  all  this  been  brought  about  ?  The  Viking's  wife 
thought  about  the  wonderful  works  which  she  had  heard  were 
performed  by  the  White  Christ,  and  by  those  who  believed  in 
Him  and  followed  Him.  Her  changing  thoughts  shaped 
themselves  into  a  dream.  It  appeared  to  her  that  she  was  still 

37 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

sitting  on  her  bed,  awake,  and  meditating,  and  that  darkness 
shrouded  everything  outside.  A  storm  arose  ;  she  heard  the 
rolling  of  the  sea  in  the  west  and  the  east,  from  the  North  Sea 
and  the  waters  of  the  Cattegat.  That  huge  serpent  which 
encircles  the  earth  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean  shook  con- 
vulsively ;  it  was  Ragnarok,  the  twilight  of  the  gods,  as  the 
heathen  called  the  last  hour,  when  everything  should  pass 
away,  even  the  high  gods  themselves.  The  trumpet  sounded, 
and  the  gods  rode  forth  over  the  rainbow,  arrayed  in  steel,  to 
take  part  in  the  last  contest.  Before  them  flew  the  winged 
warrior-maidens,  and  behind  them  in  array  marched  the  forms 
of  dead  warriors.  The  whole  sky  was  illuminated  by  the 
northern  lights,  but  the  darkness  again  prevailed.  It  was  an 
appalling  hour. 

And  close  by  the  frightened  Viking's  wife  little  Helga  sat 
on  the  floor  in  the  hideous  form  of  a  toad,  trembling  and 
nestling  herself  up  against  her  foster-mother,  who  took  her 
on  her  lap  and  affectionately  held  her  fast,  although  she  seemed 
more  hideous  than  a  toad.  The  air  was  full  of  the  sound  of 
sword-strokes  and  the  blows  of  maces,  of  arrows  whizzing,  as 
if  a  furious  hail-storm  was  raging  above  them.  The  hour  had 
come  when  earth  and  heaven  should  fail,  the  stars  should 
fall,  and  everything  be  burned  up  in  the  fire  of  Surtr  ;  but  the 
dreamer  knew  that  a  new  earth  and  heaven  would  come,  and 
the  corn  wave  where  the  sea  now  rolled  over  the  barren  sand 
bottom ;  that  the  God  who  cannot  be  named  rules,  and  up  to 
Him  rose  Baldur,  the  gentle  and  kind,  loosed  from  the  realm 
of  death.  He  came — the  Viking's  wife  saw  him,  and  knew  his 
face.  It  was  the  captive  Christian  priest. 

4  White  Christ ! '  she  cried  aloud  ;    and  as  she  mentioned 
that  Name  she  pressed  a  kiss  on  the  hideous  forehead  of  her 
frog-child  ;  the  toad's  skin  fell  off,  and  little  Helga  stood  there 
38 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

in  all  her  beauty,  gentle  as  she  had  never  been  before,  and 
with  beaming  eyes.  She  kissed  her  foster-mother's  hands, 
blessed  her  for  all  her  care  and  affection  with  which  she  had 
surrounded  her  in  the  days  of  her  distress  and  trial ;  thanked 
her  for  the  thoughts  to  which  she  had  given  birth  in  her ; 
thanked  her  for  mentioning  the  Name  which  she  repeated, 
4  White  Christ ! '  and  then  little  Helga  rose  up  as  a  noble 
swan,  her  wings  expanded  themselves  wide,  wide,  with  a 
rustling  as  when  a  flock  of  birds  of  passage  flies  away  ! 

With  that  the  Viking's  wife  awoke,  and  still  heard  outside 
the  same  strong  sound  of  wings.  She  knew  that  it  was  time 
for  the  storks  to  depart,  and  no  doubt  that  was  what  she  heard. 
Still,  she  wished  to  see  them  once  before  their  journey,  and  to 
bid  them  farewell.  She  stood  up,  went  out  on  to  the  balcony, 
and  there  she  saw  on  the  ridge  of  the  out-house  rows  of  storks, 
and  round  the  courtyard  and  over  the  lofty  trees  crowds  of 
others  were  flying  in  great  circles.  But  straight  in  front  of 
her,  on  the  edge  of  the  well,  where  little  Helga  had  so  often 
sat  and  frightened  her  with  her  wildness,  two  swans  now  sat 
and  looked  at  her  with  intelligent  eyes.  Her  dream  came 
to  her  mind ;  it  still  quite  filled  her  as  if  it  had  been  reality. 
She  thought  of  little  Helga  in  the  form  of  a  swan,  she 
thought  of  the  Christian  priest,  and  she  felt  a  strange  joy  in 
her  heart. 

The  swans  beat  their  wings,  and  bent  their  necks,  as  if 
they  wished  so  to  salute  her ;  and  the  Viking's  wife  stretched 
out  her  arms  towards  them  as  if  she  understood,  and  smiled  at 
them  through  her  tears. 

Then,  with  a  noise  of  wings  and  chattering,  all  the  storks 
arose  to  start  on  their  journey  to  the  south. 

4  We  cannot  wait  for  the  swans  ! '  said  mother-stork.  '  If 
they  wish  to  come  with  us  they  may ;  but  we  can't  wait  here 

39 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

till  the  plovers  start !  It  is  a  very  good  thing  to  travel  in 
family  parties ;  not  like  the  chaffinches  and  ruffs,  where  the 
males  fly  by  themselves  and  the  females  by  themselves  ;  that 
is  certainly  not  proper !  And  what  are  those  swans  flapping 
their  wings  for  ?  ' 

4  Every  one  flies  in  his  own  way  ! '  said  father-stork.  '  The 
swans  go  in  slanting  line,  the  cranes  in  a  triangle,  and  the 
plovers  in  a  wavy,  snake-like  line.' 

4  Don't  mention  serpents  when  we  are  flying  up  here ! ' 
said  mother-stork  ;  '  it  only  excites  the  appetites  of  our  young 
ones  when  they  can't  be  satisfied.' 


4  Are  those  the  high  mountains  down  there  which  I  have 
heard  of  ?  '  asked  Helga  in  the  swan's  skin. 

4  Those  are  thunder-clouds  which  drive  below  us,'  said  the 
mother. 

4  What  are  those  white  clouds  which  lift  themselves  so 
high  ?  '  asked  Helga. 

4  Those  are  the  everlasting  snow-clad  hills  which  you  see,' 
said  the  mother ;  and  they  flew  over  the  Alps,  down  towards 
the  blue  Mediterranean. 


4  Land  of  Africa  !  Coast  of  Egypt ! '  jubilantly  sang  the 
daughter  of  the  Nile  in  her  swan  form,  when,  high  in  the  air, 
she  descried  her  native  land,  like  a  yellowish  white,  undulat- 
ing streak. 

And  as  the  birds  saw  it,  they  hastened  their  flight. 

4 1  smell  the  mud  of  the  Nile  and  the  wet  frogs  !  '  said 
mother-stork.  4  It  quite  excites  me !  Yes,  now  you  shall 
taste  them ;  now  you  shall  see  the  adjutant  bird,  the  ibis, 
40 


THEN    SHE    SAW    THE    STORKS 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

and  the  cranes  !  They  all  belong  to  our  family,  but  they  are 
not  nearly  so  handsome  as  we  are.  They  stick  themselves  up, 
especially  the  ibis  ;  he  is  now  quite  pampered  by  the  Egyptians 
— they  make  a  mummy  of  him,  and  stuff  him  with  aromatic 
herbs.  I  would  rather  be  stuffed  with  live  frogs,  and  so 
would  you,  and  so  you  shall  be.  It  is  better  to  have 
something  inside  you  while  you  live  than  to  be  in  state 
when  you  are  dead  I  That  is  my  opinion,  and  that  is 
always  right ! ' 

'  Now  the  storks  are  come  !  '  they  said  in  the  rich  house 
on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  where,  in  the  open  hall  on  soft  cushions 
covered  with  a  leopard's  skin,  the  royal  master  lay  outstretched, 
neither  living  nor  dead,  hoping  for  the  lotus  flower  from  the 
deep  marsh  in  the  north.  Kinsmen  and  servants  stood  around 
him. 

And  into  the  hall  flew  two  beautiful  white  swans,  which 
had  come  with  the  storks  !  They  threw  off  their  dazzling 
feather-dress,  and  there  stood  two  beautiful  women,  as  much 
alike  as  two  drops  of  dew  !  They  bent  down  over  the  pale, 
withered  old  man ;  they  put  back  their  long  hair,  and  when 
little  Helga  stooped  over  her  grandfather,  the  colour  returned 
to  his  cheeks,  his  eyes  sparkled,  and  life  came  into  his  stiffened 
limbs.  The  old  man  raised  himself  healthy  and  vigorous  ; 
daughter  and  granddaughter  held  him  in  their  arms  as  if  they 
were  giving  him  a  morning  salutation  in  their  joy  after  a  long, 
heavy  dream. 


And  there  was  joy  over  all  the  house  and  in  the  storks' 
nest,  but  there  it  was  chiefly  over  the  good  food,  and  the  swarm- 
ing hosts  of  frogs  ;   and  whilst  the  learned  men  made  haste  to 
note  down  in  brief  the  history  of  the  two  princesses  and  the 
42 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

flower  of  health,  which  was  such  a  great  event  and  a  blessing 
for  house  and  country,  the  parent  storks  related  it  in  their 
fashion  to  their  own  family,  but  not  till  they  had  all  satisfied 
their  hunger,  or  else  they  would  have  had  something  else  to 
do  than  to  listen  to  stories. 

4  Now  you  will  become  somebody !  '  whispered  mother- 
stork  ;  '  that  is  certain  ! ' 

4  Well !  what  should  I  become  ?  '  said  father-stork  ;  '  and 
what  have  I  done  ?  A  mere  nothing  ! ' 

4  You  have  done  more  than  all  the  others  !  But  for  you 
and  the  young  ones  the  two  princesses  would  never  have  seen 
Egypt  again,  and  made  the  old  man  well.  You  will  become 
somebody !  You  will  certainly  receive  a  Doctor's  degree, 
and  our  young  ones  will  bear  it  afterwards,  and  their  young 
ones  will  have  it  in  turn.  You  look  already  like  an  Egyptian 
doctor — in  my  eyes  ! ' 

The  wise  and  learned  expounded  the  fundamental  idea,  as 
they  called  it,  that  ran  through  the  whole  history :  '  Love  brings 
forth  life  ! ' — they  gave  that  explanation  in  different  ways — 
4  the  warm  sunbeam  was  the  Egyptian  princess,  she  descended 
to  the  Marsh  King,  and  in  their  meeting  the  flower  sprang 
forth ' 

4 1  can't  repeat  the  words  quite  right,'  said  father-stork, 
who  had  heard  it  from  the  roof,  and  was  expected  to  tell  them 
all  about  it  in  his  nest.  4  What  they  said  was  so  involved,  it 
was  so  clever,  that  they  immediately  received  honours  and 
gifts.  Even  the  head  cook  obtained  a  high  mark  of  distinction 
— that  was  for  the  soup  ! ' 

4  And  what  did  you  receive  ?  '  inquired  mother-stork ; 
'  they  ought  not  to  forget  the  most  important,  and  that  is 
yourself.  The  learned  have  only  chattered  about  it  all,  but 
your  turn  will  come  !  ' 

43 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Late  that  night,  while  peaceful  slumber  enwrapped  the  now 
prosperous  house,  there  was  one  who  was  still  awake  ;  and 
that  was  not  the  father-stork,  though  he  stood  on  one  leg  in 
the  nest  and  slept  like  a  sentinel.  No,  little  Helga  was  awake. 
She  leaned  out  over  the  balcony  and  gazed  at  the  clear  sky, 
with  the  great,  bright  stars,  larger  and  purer  in  their  lustre 
than  she  had  seen  them  in  the  north,  and  yet  the  same.  She 
thought  of  the  Viking's  wife  by  the  moor,  of  her  foster-mother's 
gentle  eyes,  and  the  tears  she  had  shed  over  her  poor  toad- 
child,  who  now  stood  in  the  light  and  splendour  of  the  stars 
by  the  waters  of  the  Nile  in  the  soft  air  of  spring.  She  thought 
of  the  love  in  that  heathen  woman's  breast,  that  love  which 
she  had  shown  to  a  miserable  creature  who,  in  human  form, 
was  an  evil  brute,  and  in  the  form  of  an  animal,  loathsome  to 
look  at  and  to  touch.  She  looked  at  the  shining  stars,  and 
called  to  mind  the  splendour  on  the  forehead  of  the  dead  man, 
when  they  flew  away  over  forest  and  moor ;  tones  resounded 
in  her  recollection,  words  she  had  heard  pronounced  when 
they  rode  away,  and  she  sat  as  if  paralysed — words  about 
the  great  Author  of  Love,  the  highest  Love,  embracing  all 
generations. 

Yes,  how  much  had  been  given,  gained,  obtained  !  Little 
Helga's  thoughts  were  occupied,  night  and  day,  with  all  her 
good  fortune,  and  she  stood  in  contemplation  of  it  like  a  child 
which  turns  quickly  from  the  giver  to  all  the  beautiful  presents 
that  have  been  given ;  so  she  rose  up  in  her  increasing  happi- 
ness, which  could  come  and  would  come.  She  was  indeed 
borne  in  mysterious  ways  to  even  higher  joy  and  happiness, 
and  in  this  she  lost  herself  one  day  so  entirely  that  she  thought 
no  more  of  the  Giver.  It  was  the  strength  of  youthful  courage 
that  inspired  her  bold  venture.  Her  eyes  shone,  but  suddenly 
she  was  called  back  by  a  great  clamour  in  the  courtyard 
44 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

beneath.  There  she  saw  two  powerful  ostriches  running 
hurriedly  about  in  narrow  circles.  She  had  never  before  seen 
that  creature,  so  great  a  bird,  so  clumsy  and  heavy.  Its  wings 
looked  as  if  they  were  clipped,  the  bird  itself  as  if  it  had  been 
injured,  and  she  inquired  what  had  been  done  to  it,  and  for 
the  first  time  heard  the  tradition  which  the  Egyptians  relate 
about  the  ostrich. 

The  race  had  at  one  time  been  beautiful,  its  wings  large 
and  powerful ;  then,  one  evening,  a  mighty  forest  bird  said  to 
it :  '  Brother,  shall  we  fly  to  the  river  in  the  morning,  if  God 
will,  and  drink  ?  '  And  the  ostrich  replied  :  '  I  will.'  When 
day  broke  they  flew  off,  at  first  high  up  towards  the  sun — the 
eye  of  God — ever  higher  and  higher,  the  ostrich  far  before  all 
the  others  ;  it  flew  in  its  pride  towards  the  light ;  it  relied  on 
its  own  strength,  and  not  on  the  Giver ;  it  did  not  say,  *  If  God 
will ! '  Then  the  avenging  angel  drew  back  the  veil  from  the 
burning  flame,  and  in  that  instant  the  bird's  wings  were  burnt ; 
it  sank  miserably  to  the  earth.  Its  descendants  are  no  longer 
able  to  raise  themselves ;  they  fly  in  terror,  rush  about  in 
circles  in  that  narrow  space.  It  is  a  reminder  to  us  men,  in 
all  our  thoughts,  in  all  our  actions,  to  say  :  '  If  God  will !  ' 

And  Helga  thoughtfully  bowed  her  head,  looked  at  the 
hurrying  ostrich,  saw  its  fear,  saw  its  silly  delight  at  the  sight 
of  its  own  great  shadow  on  the  white  sunlit  wall.  And  deep 
seriousness  fixed  itself  into  her  mind  and  thoughts.  So  rich  a 
life,  so  full  of  prosperity,  was  given,  was  obtained — what  would 
happen  ?  What  was  yet  to  come  ?  The  best  thing  :  '  If  God 
will ! ' 


In  the  early  spring,  when  the  storks  again  started   for 
the  north,  little  Helga  took  her  gold  bracelet,  scratched  her 

45 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

name  on  it,  beckoned  to  the  stork-father,  placed  the  golden 
circlet  about  his  neck,  and  asked  him  to  bear  it  to  the 
Viking's  wife,  by  which  she  would  understand  that  her 
foster-daughter  was  alive,  and  that  she  was  happy,  and 
thought  of  her. 

4  That  is  heavy  to  carry  !  '  thought  the  father-stork  when 
it  was  placed  around  his  neck ;  4  but  one  does  not  throw  gold 
and  honour  on  the  high-road.  They  will  find  it  true  up  there 
that  the  stork  brings  fortune  !  ' 

4  You  lay  gold,  and  I  lay  eggs  ! '  said  the  mother-stork ; 
4  but  you  only  lay  once,  and  I  lay  every  year !  But  it  vexes 
me  that  neither  of  us  is  appreciated.' 

4  But  we  are  quite  aware  of  it  ourselves,  mother  !  '  said 
father-stork. 

4  But  you  can't  hang  that  on  you,'  said  mother-stork. 
4  It  neither  gives  us  fair  wind  nor  food.' 

And  so  they  flew. 

The  little  nightingale,  that  sang  in  the  tamarind-bush,  also 
wished  to  start  for  the  north  immediately.  Little  Helga  had 
often  heard  him  up  there  near  the  moor ;  she  wished  to  give 
him  a  message,  for  she  understood  the  speech  of  birds  when 
she  flew  in  the  swan's  skin,  and  she  had  often  since  that  time 
used  it  with  the  stork  and  the  swallow.  The  nightingale  would 
understand  her,  and  she  asked  him  to  fly  to  the  beech-forest 
on  the  peninsula  of  Jutland,  where  she  had  erected  the  grave 
of  stones  and  boughs  ;  there  she  asked  him  to  bid  all  the  small 
birds  to  protect  the  grave,  and  always  to  sing  their  songs 
around  it.  And  the  nightingale  flew — and  time  flew  also. 


The  eagle  stood  on  the  pyramid  in  the  autumn,  and  saw  a 
magnificent  array  of  richly  laden  camels,  with  armed  men  in 
46 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

costly  clothing,  on  snorting  Arabian  steeds,  shining  as  white 
as  silver,  and  with  red  quivering  nostrils,  their  heavy  thick 
manes  hanging  down  about  their  slender  legs.  Rich  visitors, 
a  royal  prince  from  the  land  of  Arabia,  beautiful  as  a  prince 
ought  to  be,  came  to  that  noble  house,  where  the  storks'  nest 
now  stood  empty,  its  former  occupants  now  far  away  in  the 
northern  land,  but  soon  to  return.  And  they  came  exactly 
on  that  day  which  was  most  filled  with  joy  and  mirth.  There 
was  a  grand  wedding,  and  little  Helga  was  the  bride  arrayed  in 
silk  and  jewels ;  the  bridegroom  was  the  young  prince  from 
the  land  of  Arabia ;  and  the  two  sat  highest  at  the  table 
between  the  mother  and  grandfather.  But  she  did  not  look 
•at  the  bridegroom's  brown,  manly  cheek,  where  his  black  beard 
curled;  she  did  not  look  at  his  dark,  fiery  eyes,  which  were 
fastened  upon  her  ;  she  looked  outwards  and  upwards  towards 
the  twinkling,  sparkling  stars,  which  beamed  down  from 
heaven. 

Then  there  was  a  rustling  sound  of  strong  wing-strokes 
outside  in  the  air— the  storks  had  returned ;  and  the  old 
couple,  however  tired  they  might  be  with  the  journey,  and 
however  much  they  needed  rest,  still  flew  on  to  the  railing  of 
the  verandah  immediately  they  were  aware  whose  festivity  it 
was.  They  had  already  heard,  at  the  frontier  of  the  country, 
that  little  Helga  had  allowed  them  to  be  painted  on  the  wall 
because  they  belonged  to  her  history. 

4  That  is  very  nicely  borne  in  mind,'  said  father-stork. 

4  It  is  very  little  !  '  said  the  stork-mother ;  '  she  could  not 
have  done  less.' 

And  when  Helga  saw  them,  she  got  up  and  went  out  into 
the  verandah  to  them  to  pat  them  on  the  back.  The  old 
storks  curtsied  with  their  necks,  and  the  youngest  of  their 
young  ones  looked  on,  and  felt  themselves  honoured. 

47 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

And  Helga  looked  up  to  the  bright  stars  which  shone  clearer 
and  clearer ;  and  between  them  and  her  a  form  seemed  to 
move  still  purer  than  the  air,  and  seen  through  it,  that  hovered 
quite  near  her — it  was  the  dead  Christian  priest ;  so  he  came 
on  the  day  of  her  festivity,  came  from  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

'  The  splendour  and  glory  which  are  there  surpass  every- 
thing that  earth  knows  !  '  he  said. 

And  little  Helga  prayed  gently  and  from  her  heart,  as  she 
had  never  prayed  before,  that  she  only  for  one  single  minute 
might  dare  to  look  within,  might  only  cast  one  single  glance 
into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  to  the  Father  of  all. 

And  he  raised  her  into  the  splendour  and  glory,  in  one 
current  of  sounds  and  thoughts ;  it  was  not  only  round  about 
her  that  it  shone  and  sounded,  but  within  her.  No  words  are 
able  to  describe  it. 

1  Now  we  must  return  ;   you  are  wanted  !  '  he  said. 

4  Only  one  glance  more  !  '  she  entreated ;  '  only  one  short 
minute  !  ' 

'  We  must  go  back  to  the  earth  ;  all  the  guests  have  gone 
away.' 

4  Only  one  glance  !  the  last ' 


And  little  Helga  stood  outside  in  the  verandah  ;  but  all  the 
torches  outside  were  extinguished,  all  the  lights  in  the  wedding 
chamber  were  gone,  the  storks  were  gone,  no  guests  to  be  seen, 
no  bridegroom ;  everything  seemed  to  be  blown  away  in  three 
short  minutes. 

Then  Helga  was  filled  with  terror,  and  she  went  through 

the  great,  empty  hall,  into  the  next  room.     Strange  soldiers 

were  sleeping  there.     She  opened  a  side  door  that  led  into  her 

apartment,  and  when  she  expected  to  stand  there,  she  found 

48 


THE  MARSH  KING'S  DAUGHTER 

herself  outside  in  the  garden  ;  but  it  was  not  like  this  before — 
the  heaven  was  red  and  shining,  it  was  towards  daybreak. 

Only  three  minutes  in  Heaven,  and  a  whole  night  had 
passed  on  the  earth  ! 

****** 

Then  she  saw  the  storks  ;  she  cried  to  them,  speaking  their 
language,  and  father-stork  turned  his  head,  listened,  and  drew 
near  her. 

4  You  are  speaking  our  language  !  '  said  he  ;  '  what  do  you 
want  ?  Why  do  you  come  here,  you  strange  woman  ?  ' 

4  It  is  I !  it  is  Helga !  Don't  you  know  me  ?  Three 
minutes  ago  we  were  talking  together,  yonder  in  the  verandah.1 

4  That  is  a  mistake  ! '  said  the  stork ;  4  you  must  have 
dreamt  it ! ' 

4  No,  no  !  '  she  said,  and  reminded  him  of  the  Viking's 
stronghold  and  the  moor,  and  of  the  journey  hither  ! 

Then  father-stork  blinked  his  eyes  :  4  That  is  a  very  old 
story ;  I  have  heard  it  from  my  great-great-great-grand- 
mother's time  !  Yes,  certainly,  there  was  such  a  princess 
in  Egypt  from  the  land  of  Denmark,  but  she  disappeared  on 
the  night  of  her  wedding  many  hundreds  of  years  ago,  and 
never  came  back  again.  That  you  may  read  for  yourself 
on  the  monument  in  the  garden ;  there  are  sculptured  both 
swans  and  storks,  and  at  the  top  you  yourself  stand  in  white 
marble.' 

It  was  indeed  so.  Little  Helga  saw  it,  understood  it,  and 
fell  on  her  knees. 

The  sun  broke  forth,  and  as  in  former  times  at  the  touch 
of  its  beams  the  toad  form  disappeared  and  the  beautiful  shape 
was  seen,  so  she  raised  herself  now  at  the  baptism  of  light  in  a 
form  of  brighter  beauty,  purer  than  the  air,  a  ray  of  light— to 
the  Father  of  all. 

D  49 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Her  body  sank  in  dust ;    there  lay  a  faded  lotus-flower 
where  she  had  stood. 

****** 

*  Then  that  was  a  new  ending  to  the  story  !  '  said  the  father- 
stork.     1 1  had  not  at  all  expected  it !  but  I  rather  like  it ! ' 

'  I  wonder  what  my  young  ones  will  say  about  it !  '  said  the 
mother-stork. 

'  Yes,  that  is  certainly  the  principal  thing !  '  answered  the 
father. 


50 


THE    SWALLOW    SOARED    HIGH    INTO    THE    AIR 


'THOU  POOR  LITTLE  THING!'  SAID  THE  FIELD-MOUSE 


TOMMELISE 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  young  wife  who  longed 
exceedingly  to  possess  a  little  child  of  her  own,  so 
she  went  to  an  old  witch- woman  and  said  to  her,  4 1 
wish  so  very  much  to  have  a  child,  a  little  tiny  child ;  won't 
you  give  me  one,  old  mother  ? ' 

'  Oh,  with  all  my  heart ! '  replied  the  witch.  '  Here  is  a 
barley-corn  for  you  ;  it  is  not  exactly  of  the  same  sort  as  those 
that  grow  on  the  farmer's  fields,  or  that  are  given  to  the  fowls 
in  the  poultry  yard,  but  do  you  sow  it  in  a  flower-pot,  and  then 
you  shall  see  what  you  shall  see  !  ' 

4  Thank  you,  thank  you  ! '  cried  the  woman,  and  she  gave 
the  witch  a  silver  sixpence,  and  then  having  returned  home 
52 


TOMMELISE 

sowed  the  barley-corn  as  she  had  been  directed,  whereupon  a 
large  and  beautiful  flower  immediately  shot  forth  from  the 
flower-pot.  It  looked  like  a  tulip,  but  the  petals  were  tightly 
folded  up  ;  it  was  still  in  bud. 

1  What  a  lovely  flower ! '  exclaimed  the  peasant-woman, 
and  she  kissed  the  pretty  red  and  yellow  leaves,  and  as  she 
kissed  them  the  flower  gave  a  loud  report  and  opened.  It 
was  indeed  a  tulip,  but  on  the  small  green  pointal  in  the 
centre  of  the  flower  there  sat  a  little  tiny  girl,  so  pretty  and 
delicate,  but  her  whole  body  scarcely  bigger  than  the  young 
peasant's  thumb.  So  she  called  her  Tommelise. 

A  pretty  varnished  walnut-shell  was  given  her  as  a  cradle, 
blue  violet  leaves  served  as  her  mattresses,  and  a  rose-leaf  was 
her  coverlet ;  here  she  slept  at  night,  but  in  the  daytime  she 
played  on  the  table.  The  peasant-wife  had  filled  a  plate  with 
water,  and  laid  flowers  in  it,  their  blossoms  bordering  the  edge 
of  the  plate,  while  the  stalks  lay  in  the  water ;  on  the  surface 
floated  a  large  tulip-leaf,  and  on  it  Tommelise  might  sit  and 
sail  from  one  side  of  the  plate  to  the  other,  two  white  horse 
hairs  having  been  given  her  for  oars.  That  looked  quite 
charming !  And  Tommelise  could  sing  too,  and  she  sang  in 
such  low  sweet  tones  as  never  were  heard  before. 

One  night,  while  she  was  lying  in  her  pretty  bed,  a  great 
ugly  toad  came  hopping  in  through  the  broken  window-pane. 
The  toad  was  such  a  great  creature,  old  and  withered-looking, 
and  wet  too ;  she  hopped  at  once  down  upon  the  table  where 
Tommelise  lay  sleeping  under  the  red  rose  petal. 

4  That  is  just  the  wife  for  my  son,'  said  the  toad  ;  and  she 
seized  hold  of  the  walnut-shell,  with  Tommelise  in  it,  and 
hopped  away  with  her  through  the  broken  pane  down  into  the 
garden.  Here  flowed  a  broad  stream  ;  its  banks  were  muddy 
and  swampy,  and  it  was  amongst  this  mud  that  the  old  toad 

53 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

and  her  son  dwelt.     Ugh,  how  hideous  and  deformed  he  was  ! 
just  like  his  mother. 

4  Coax,  coax,  brekke-ke-kex  !  '  was  all  he  could  find  to  say 
on  seeing  the  pretty  little  maiden  in  the  walnut-shell. 

'  Don't  make  such  a  riot,  or  you  '11  wake  her ! '  said  old 
mother  toad.  '  She  may  easily  run  away  from  us,  for  she  is 
as  light  as  a  swan-down  feather.  I  '11  tell  you  what  we  '11 
do ;  we  '11  take  her  out  into  the  brook,  and  set  her  down  on 
one  of  the  large  water-lily  leaves ;  it  will  be  like  an  island  to 
her,  who  is  so  light  and  small.  Then  she  cannot  run  away 
from  us,  and  we  can  go  and  get  ready  the  state-rooms  down 
under  the  mud,  where  you  and  she  are  to  dwell  together.' 

Out  in  the  brook  there  grew  many  water-lilies,  with  their 
broad  green  leaves,  each  of  which  seemed  to  be  floating  over 
the  water.  The  leaf  which  was  the  farthest  from  the  shore 
was  also  the  largest ;  to  it  swam  old  mother  toad,  and  on  it 
she  set  the  walnut-shell,  with  Tommelise. 

The  poor  little  tiny  creature  awoke  quite  early  next  morn- 
ing, and,  when  she  saw  where  she  was,  she  began  to  weep 
most  bitterly,  for  there  was  nothing  but  water  on  all  sides 
of  the  large  green  leaf,  and  she  could  in  no  way  reach  the 
land. 

Old  mother  toad  was  down  in  the  mud,  decorating  her 
apartments  with  bulrushes  and  yellow  buttercups,  so  as  to 
make  it  quite  gay  and  tidy  to  receive  her  new  daughter-in-law. 
At  last,  she  and  her  frightful  son  swam  together  to  the  leaf 
where  she  had  left  Tommelise  ;  they  wanted  to  fetch  her 
pretty  cradle,  and  place  it  for  her  in  the  bridal  chamber  before 
she  herself  was  conducted  into  it.  Old  mother  toad  bowed 
low  in  the  water,  and  said  to  her,  '  Here  is  my  son,  he  is  to  be 
thy  husband,  and  you  will  dwell  together  so  comfortably  down 
in  the  mud  !  ' 
54 


TOMMELISE 

4  Coax,  coax,  brekke-ke-kex  ! '  was  all  that  her  son  could 
say. 

Then  they  took  the  neat  little  bed  and  swam  away  with  it, 
whilst  Tommelise  sat  alone  on  the  green  leaf,  weeping,  for  she 
did  not  like  the  thought  of  living  with  the  withered  old  toad, 
and  having  her  ugly  son  for  a  husband.  The  little  fishes  that 
were  swimming  to  and  fro  in  the  water  beneath  had  heard 
what  mother  toad  had  said,  so  they  now  put  up  their  heads — 
they  wanted  to  see  the  little  maid.  And  when  they  saw  her, 
they  were  charmed  with  her  delicate  beauty,  and  it  vexed  them 
very  much  that  the  hideous  old  toad  should  carry  her  off.  No, 
that  should  never  be !  They  surrounded  the  green  stalk  in 
the  water,  whereon  rested  the  water-lily  leaf,  and  gnawed  it 
asunder  with  their  teeth,  and  then  the  leaf  floated  away  down 
the  brook,  with  Tommelise  on  it ;  away,  far  away,  where  the 
old  toad  could  not  follow. 

Tommelise  sailed  past  so  many  places,  and  the  wild  birds 
among  the  bushes  saw  her  and  sang,  '  Oh,  what  a  sweet  little 
maiden  !  '  On  and  on,  farther  and  farther,  floated  the  leaf : 
Tommelise  was  on  her  travels. 

A  pretty  little  white  butterfly  kept  fluttering  round  and 
round  her,  and  at  last  settled  down  on  the  leaf,  for  he  loved 
Tommelise  very  much,  and  she  was  so  pleased.  There  was 
nothing  to  trouble  her  now  that  she  had  no  fear  of  the  old  toad 
pursuing  her,  and  wherever  she  sailed  everything  was  so  beauti- 
ful, for  the  sun  shone  down  on  the  water,  making  it  bright  as 
liquid  gold.  And  now  she  took  off  her  sash,  and  tied  one  end 
of  it  round  the  butterfly,  fastening  the  other  end  firmly  into 
the  leaf.  On  floated  the  leaf,  faster  and  faster,  and  Tommelise 
with  it. 

Presently  a  great  cock-chafer  came  buzzing  past ;  he  caught 
sight  of  her,  and  immediately  fastening  his  claw  round  her 

55 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

slender  waist,  flew  up  into  a  tree  with  her.  But  the  green  leaf 
still  floated  down  the  brook,  and  the  butterfly  with  it ;  he  was 
bound  to  the  leaf  and  could  not  get  loose. 

Oh,  how  terrified  was  poor  Tommelise  when  the  cock-chafer 
carried  her  up  into  the  tree,  and  how  sorry  she  felt,  too,  for  the 


'THIS  is  JUST  THE  WIFE  FOR  MY  SON,'  SAID  THE  TOAD 

darling  white  butterfly  which  she  had  left  tied  fast  to  the  leaf  ; 
she  feared  that  if  he  could  not  get  away,  he  would  perish  of 
hunger.  But  the  cock-chafer  cared  nothing  for  that.  He 
settled  with  her  upon  the  largest  leaf  in  the  tree,  gave  her  some 
honey  from  the  flowers  to  eat,  and  hummed  her  praises,  telling 
her  she  was  very  pretty,  although  she  was  not  at  all  like  a 
56 


She  stood  at  the  door  and  begged  for  a  piece  of  barley-corn 


'"'"''" 


TOMMELISE 

hen-chafer.  And  by-and-by  all  the  chafers  who  lived  in  that 
tree  came  to  pay  her  a  visit ;  they  looked  at  Tommelise,  and 
one  Miss  Hen-chafer  drew  in  her  feelers,  saying,  4  She  has  only 
two  legs,  how  miserable  that  looks  ! '  '  She  has  no  feelers,' 
cried  another.  ;  And  see  how  thin  and  lean  her  waist  is ;  why, 
she  is  just  like  a  human  being  ! '  observed  a  third.  '  How  very, 
very  ugly  she  is  ! '  at  last  cried  all  the  lady-chafers  in  chorus. 
The  chafer  who  had  carried  off  Tommelise  still  could  not 
persuade  himself  that  she  was  otherwise  than  pretty,  but,  as 
all  the  rest  kept  repeating  and  insisting  that  she  was  ugly,  he 
at  last  began  to  think  they  must  be  in  the  right,  and  determined 
to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  her ;  she  might  go  wherever 
she  would,  for  aught  he  cared,  he  said.  And  so  the  whole 
swarm  flew  down  from  the  tree  with  her,  and  set  her  on  a  daisy  ; 
then  she  wept  because  she  was  so  ugly  that  the  lady-chafers 
would  not  keep  company  with  her,  and  yet  Tommelise  was  the 
prettiest  little  creature  that  could  be  imagined,  soft  and 
delicate  and  transparent  as  the  loveliest  rose  leaf. 

All  the  summer  long  poor  Tommelise  lived  alone  in  the 
wide  wood.  She  wove  herself  a  bed  of  grass-straw,  and  hung 
it  under  a  large  burdock-leaf  which  sheltered  her  from  the 
rain ;  she  dined  off  the  honey  from  the  flowers,  and  drank 
from  the  dew  that  every  morning  spangled  the  leaves  and 
herblets  around  her.  Thus  passed  the  summer  and  autumn, 
but  then  came  winter,  the  cold,  long  winter.  All  the  birds 
who  had  sung  so  sweetly  to  her  flew  away,  trees  and  flowers 
withered,  the  large  burdock-leaf  under  which  Tommelise  had 
lived  rolled  itself  up  and  became  a  dry,  yellow  stalk,  and 
Tommelise  was  fearfully  cold,  for  her  clothes  were  wearing 
out,  and  she  herself  was  so  slight  and  frail,  poor  little  thing  ! 
she  was  nearly  frozen  to  death.  It  began  to  snow,  and  every 
light  flake  that  fell  upon  her  made  her  feel  as  we  should  if  a 

57 


whole  shovelful  of  snow  were  thrown  upon  us,  for  we  are  giants 
in  comparison  with  a  little  creature  only  an  inch  long.  She 
wrapped  herself  up  in  a  withered  leaf,  but  it  gave  her  no 
warmth;  she  shuddered  with  cold. 

Close  outside  the  wood,  on  the  skirt  of  which  Tommelise 
had  been  living,  lay  a  large  corn-field,  but  the  corn  had  been 
carried  away  long  ago,  leaving  only  the  dry,  naked  stubble 
standing  up  from  the  hard-frozen  earth.  It  was  like  another 
wood  to  Tommelise,  and  oh,  how  she  shivered  with  cold  as 
she  made  her  way  through.  At  last  she  came  past  the  field- 
mouse's  door ;  for  the  field-mouse  had  made  herself  a  little 
hole  under  the  stubble,  and  there  she  dwelt  snugly  and  com- 
fortably, having  a  room  full  of  corn,  and  a  neat  kitchen  and 
store-chamber  besides.  And  poor  Tommelise  must  now  play 
the  beggar-girl ;  she  stood  at  the  door  and  begged  for  a  little 
piece  of  a  barley-corn,  for  she  had  had  nothing  to  eat  during 
two  whole  days. 

'  Thou  poor  little  thing  ! '  said  the  field-mouse,  who  was 
indeed  a  thoroughly  good-natured  old  creature,  4  come  into 
my  warm  room  and  dine  with  me.' 

And  as  she  soon  took  a  great  liking  to  Tommelise,  she 
proposed  to  her  to  stay.  '  You  may  dwell  with  me  all  the 
winter  if  you  will,  but  keep  my  room  clean  and  neat,  and  tell 
me  stories,  for  I  love  stories  dearly.' 

And  Tommelise  did  all  that  the  kind  old  field-mouse 
required  of  her,  and  was  made  very  comfortable  in  her  new 
abode. 

4  We  shall  have  a  visitor  presently,'  observed  the  field-) 
mouse  ;  '  my  next-door  neighbour  comes  to  see  me  once  every 
week.  He  is  better  off  than  I  am,  has  large  rooms  in  his  house, 
and  wears  a  coat  of  such  beautiful  black  velvet.  It  would  be 
a  capital  thing  for  you  if  you  could  secure  him  for  your  husband, 
58 


TOMMELISE 

but  unfortunately  he  is  blind,  he  cannot  see  you.     You  must 
tell  him  the  prettiest  stories  you  know.' 

But  Tommelise  did  not  care  at  all  about  pleasing  their 
neighbour  Mr.  Mole,  nor  did  she  wish  to  marry  him.  He  came 
and  paid  a  visit  in  his  black-velvet  suit,  he  was  so  rich  and  so 


OH,    HOW    TERRIFIED    WAS    POOR    TOMMELISE  ! 

learned,  and  the  field-mouse  declared  his  domestic  offices  were 
twenty  times  larger  than  hers,  but  the  sun  and  the  pretty 
flowers  he  could  not  endure,  he  was  always  abusing  them, 
though  he  had  never  seen  either.  Tommelise  was  called  upon 
to  sing  for  his  amusement,  and  by  the  time  she  had  sung  '  Lady- 
bird, lady-bird,  fly  away  home  !  '  and  '  The  Friar  of  Orders 

59 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Grey,'  the  mole  had  quite  fallen  in  love  with  her  through  the 
charm  of  her  sweet  voice  ;  however,  he  said  nothing,  he  was 
such  a  prudent,  cautious  animal. 

He  had  just  been  digging  a  long  passage  through  the  earth 
from  their  house  to  his,  and  he  now  gave  permission  to  the  field- 
mouse  and  Tommelise  to  walk  in  it  as  often  as  they  liked ; 
however,  he  bade  them  not  be  afraid  of  the  dead  bird  that  lay 
in  the  passage ;  it  was  a  whole  bird,  with  beak  and  feathers 
entire,  and  therefore  he  supposed  it  must  have  died  quite 
lately,  at  the  beginning  of  the  winter,  and  had  been  buried 
just  in  the  place  where  he  had  dug  his  passage. 

The  mole  took  a  piece  of  tinder,  which  shines  like  fire  in  the 
dark,  in  his  mouth,  and  went  on  first  to  light  his  friends  through 
the  long  dark  passage,  and  when  they  came  to  the  place  where 
the  dead  bird  lay,  he  thrust  his  broad  nose  up  against  the 
ceiling  and  pushed  up  the  earth,  so  as  to  make  a  great  hole  for 
the  light  to  come  through.  In  the  midst  of  the  floor  lay  a 
swallow,  his  wings  clinging  firmly  to  his  sides,  his  head  and 
legs  drawn  under  the  feathers  ;  the  poor  bird  had  evidently 
died  of  cold.  Tommelise  felt  so  very  sorry,  for  she  loved  all 
the  little  birds,  who  had  sung  and  chirped  so  merrily  to  her 
the  whole  summer  long  ;  but  the  mole  kicked  it  with  his  short 
legs,  saying,  '  Here  's  a  fine  end  to  all  its  whistling  !  a  miserable 
thing  it  must  be  to  be  born  a  bird.  None  of  my  children  will 
be  birds,  that 's  a  comfort !  Such  creatures  have  nothing 
but  their  "  quivit,"  and  must  be  starved  to  death  in  the 
winter.' 

4  Yes,  indeed,  a  sensible  animal  like  you  may  well  say  so,' 
returned  the  field-mouse  ;  4  what  has  the  bird  got  by  all  his 
chirping  and  chirruping  ?  when  winter  comes  it  must  starve 
and  freeze  ;  and  it  is  such  a  great  creature  too  ! ' 

Tommelise  said  nothing,  but  when  the  two  others  had 
60 


TOMMELISE 

turned  their  backs  upon  the  bird,  she  bent  over  it,  smoothed 
down  the  feathers  that  covered  its  head,  and  kissed  the  closed 
eyes.  '  Perhaps  it  was  this  one  that  sang  so  delightfully  to 
me  in  the  summer-time,5  thought  she  ;  l  how  much  pleasure  it 
has  given  me,  the  dear,  dear  bird  !  ' 

The  mole  now  stopped  up  the  hole  through  which  the  day- 
light had  pierced,  and  then  followed  the  ladies  home.  But 
Tommelise  could  not  sleep  that  night,  so  she  got  out  of  her  bed, 
and  wove  a  carpet  out  of  hay,  and  then  went  out  and  spread  it 
round  the  dead  bird ;  she  also  fetched  some  soft  cotton  from 
the  field-mouse's  room,  which  she  laid  over  the  bird,  that  it 
might  be  warm  amid  the  cold  earth. 

4  Farewell,  thou  dear  bird,'  said  she  ;  '  farewell,  and  thanks 
for  thy  beautiful  song  in  the  summer-time,  when  all  the  trees 
were  green,  and  the  sun  shone  so  warmly  upon  us  !  J  And  she 
pressed  her  head  against  the  bird's  breast,  but  was  terrified  to 
feel  something  beating  within  it.  It  was  the  bird's  heart.  The 
bird  was  not  dead  ;  it  had  lain  in  a  swoon,  and  now  that  it  was 
warmer  its  life  returned. 

Every  autumn  all  the  swallows  fly  away  to  warm  countries  ; 
but  if  one  of  them  linger  behind,  it  freezes  and  falls  down  as 
though  dead,  and  the  cold  snow  covers  it. 

Tommelise  trembled  with  fright,  for  the  bird  was  very  large 
compared  with  her,  who  was  only  an  inch  in  length.  However, 
she  took  courage,  laid  the  cotton  more  closely  round  the  poor 
swallow,  and  fetching  a  leaf  which  had  served  herself  as  a 
coverlet,  spread  it  over  the  bird's  head. 

The  next  night  she  stole  out  again,  and  found  that  the  bird's 
life  had  quite  returned,  though  it  was  so  feeble  that  only  for 
one  short  moment  could  it  open  its  eyes  to  look  at  Tommelise, 
who  stood  by  with  a  piece  of  tinder  in  her  hand — she  had  no 
other  lantern. 

61 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  Thanks  to  thee,  thou  sweet  little  child  ! '  said  the  sick 
swallow.  '  I  feel  delightfully  warm  now  ;  soon  I  shall  recover 
my  strength,  and  be  able  to  fly  again,  out  in  the  warm  sun- 
shine.' 

4  Oh,  no,'  she  replied,  '  it  is  too  cold  without,  it  snows  and 
freezes  !  Thou  must  stay  in  thy  warm  bed ;  I  will  take  care  of 
thee.' 

She  brought  the  swallow  water  in  a  flower-petal  and  he 
drank,  and  then  he  told  her  how  he  had  torn  one  of  his  wings 
in  a  thorn  bush,  and  therefore  could  not  fly  fast  enough  to  keep 
up  with  the  other  swallows  who  were  all  migrating  to  the  warm 
countries.  He  had  at  last  fallen  to  the  earth,  and  more  than 
that  he  could  not  remember ;  he  did  not  at  all  know  how  he 
had  got  underground. 

However,  underground  he  remained  all  the  winter  long, 
and  Tommelise  was  kind  to  him,  and  loved  him  dearly,  but 
she  never  said  a  word  about  him  either  to  the  mole  or  the 
field-mouse,  for  she  knew  they  could  not  endure  the  poor 
swallow. 

As  soon  as  the  spring  came  and  the  sun's  warmth  had 
penetrated  the  earth,  the  swallow  said  farewell  to  Tommelise, 
and  she  opened  for  him  the  covering  of  earth  which  the  mole 
had  thrown  back  before.  The  sun  shone  in  upon  them  so 
deliciously,  and  the  swallow  asked  whether  she  would  not  go 
with  him ;  she  might  sit  upon  his  back,  and  then  they  would 
fly  together  far  out  into  the  greenwood.  But  Tommelise  knew 
it  would  vex  the  old  field-mouse  if  she  were  to  leave  her. 

4  No,  I  cannot,  I  must  not  go,'  said  Tommelise. 

4  Fare  thee  well,  then,  thou  good  and  pretty  maiden,'  said 
the  swallow,  and  away  he  flew  into  the  sunshine.     Tommelise 
looked  after  him  and  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes,  for  she  loved 
the  poor  swallow  so  much. 
62 


TOMMELISE 

'  Quivit,  quivit,'  sang  the  bird,  as  he  flew  into  the  green- 
wood. And  Tommelise  was  now  sad  indeed.  She  was  not 
allowed  to  go  out  into  the  warm  sunshine ;  the  wheat  that 
had  been  sown  in  the  field  above  the  field-mouse's  house  grew 
up  so  high  that  it  seemed  a  perfect  forest  to  the  poor  little 
damsel  who  was  only  an  inch  in  stature. 

4  This  summer  you  must  work  at  getting  your  wedding 
clothes  ready,'  said  the  field-mouse,  for  their  neighbour,  the 
blind  dull  mole  in  the  black-velvet  suit  had  now  made  his 
proposals  in  form  to  Tommelise.  4  You  shall  have  worsted 
and  linen  in  plenty  ;  you  shall  be  well  provided  with  all  manner 
of  clothes  and  furniture  before  you  become  the  mole's  wife.' 
So  Tommelise  was  obliged  to  work  hard  at  the  distaff,  and  the 
field-mouse  hired  four  spiders  to  spin  and  weave  night  and 
day.  Every  evening  came  the  mole,  and  always  began  to 
talk  about  the  summer  soon  coming  to  an  end,  and  that  then, 
when  the  sun  would  no  longer  shine  so  warmly,  scorching  the 
earth  till  it  was  as  dry  as  a  stone,  yes,  then,  his  nuptials  with 
Tommelise  should  take  place.  But  this  sort  of  conversation 
did  not  please  her  at  all ;  she  was  thoroughly  wearied  of  his 
dulness  and  his  prating.  Every  morning  when  the  sun  rose, 
and  every  evening  when  it  set,  she  used  to  steal  out  at  the  door, 
and  when  the  wind  blew  the  tops  of  the  corn  aside,  so  that  she 
could  see  the  blue  sky  through  the  opening,  she  thought  how 
bright  and  beautiful  it  was  out  here,  and  wished  most  fervently 
to  see  the  dear  swallow  once  more  ;  but  he  never  came,  he  must 
have  been  flying  far  away  in  the  beautiful  greenwood. 

Autumn  came,  and  Tommelise's  wedding  clothes  were 
ready. 

4  Four  weeks  more,  and  you  shall  be  married  !  '  said  the 
field-mouse.  But  Tommelise  wept,  and  said  she  would  not 
marry  the  dull  mole. 

63 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

1  Fiddlestick  !  '  exclaimed  the  field-mouse  ;  '  don't  be 
obstinate,  child,  or  I  shall  bite  thee  with  my  white  teeth  !  Is 
he  not  handsome,  pray  ?  Why,  the  Queen  has  not  got  such  a 
black-velvet  dress  as  he  wears  !  And  isn't  he  rich  ?  rich 
both  in  kitchens  and  cellars  ?  Be  thankful  to  get  such  a 
husband  !  ' 

So  Tommelise  must  be  married.  The  day  fixed  had  arrived, 
the  mole  had  already  come  to  fetch  his  bride,  and  she  must 
dwell  with  him,  deep  under  the  earth,  never  again  to  come 
out  into  the  warm  sunshine  which  she  loved  so  much,  and 
which  he  could  not  endure.  The  poor  child  was  in  despair 
at  the  thought  that  she  must  now  bid  farewell  to  the 
beautiful  sun  of  which  she  had  at  least  been  allowed  to  catch 
a  glimpse  every  now  and  then  while  she  lived  with  the 
field-mouse. 

4  Farewell,  thou  glorious  sun  ! '  she  cried,  throwing  her 
arms  up  into  the  air,  and  she  walked  on  a  little  way  beyond  the 
field-mouse's  door  ;  the  corn  was  already  reaped,  and  only  the 
dry  stubble  surrounded  her.  4  Farewell,  farewell !  '  repeated 
she,  as  she  clasped  her  tiny  arms  round  a  little  red  flower  that 
grew  there.  4  Greet  the  dear  swallow  from  me,  if  thou  shouldst 
see  him.' 

c  Quivit !  quivit !  ' — there  was  a  fluttering  of  wings  just 
over  her  head ;  she  looked  up,  and  behold  !  the  little  swallow 
was  flying  past.  And  how  pleased  he  was  when  he  perceived 
Tommelise  !  She  told  how  that  she  had  been  obliged  to  accept 
the  disagreeable  mole  as  a  husband,  and  that  she  would  have 
to  dwell  deep  underground  where  the  sun  never  pierced.  And 
she  could  not  help  weeping  as  she  spoke. 

'  The  cold  winter  will  soon  be  here  !  '  said  the  swallow ; 
'  I  shall  fly  far  away  to  the  warm  countries.  Wilt  thou  go 
with  me  ?  Thou  canst  sit  on  my  back,  and  tie  thyself  firmly 
64 


'Yes!     I  will  go  with  thee,"  said  Tommelise,  and  she  seated  herself 

on  the  bird's  back 


TOMMELISE 

to  me  with  thy  sash,  and  thus  we  shall  fly  away  from  the  stupid 
mole  and  his  dark  room,  far  away  over  the  mountains  to 
those  countries  where  the  sun  shines  so  brightly,  where  it  is 
always  summer,  and  flowers  blossom  all  the  year  round. 
Come  and  fly  with  me,  thou  sweet  little  Tommelise,  who 


THAT    WAS    THE    GREATEST    OF   PLEASURES 


didst  save  my  life  when  I  lay  frozen  hi  the  dark  cellars  of  the 
earth  ! ' 

'  Yes,  I  will  go  with  thee  ! '  said  Tommelise.  And  she 
seated  herself  on  the  bird's  back,  her  feet  resting  on  the  out- 
spread wings,  and  tied  her  girdle  firmly  round  one  of  the 
strongest  feathers,  and  then  the  swallow  soared  high  into  the 
air,  and  flew  away  over  forest  and  over  lake,  over  mountains 
E  65 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

whose  crests  are  covered  with  snow  all  the  year  round.  How 
Tommelise  shivered  as  she  breathed  the  keen  frosty  air  !  How- 
ever, she  soon  crept  down  under  the  bird's  warm  feathers,  her 
head  still  peering  forth,  eager  to  behold  all  the  glory  and  beauty 
beneath  her.  At  last  they  reached  the  warm  countries.  There 
the  sun  shone  far  more  brightly  than  in  her  native  clime.  The 
heavens  seemed  twice  as  high,  and  twice  as  blue  ;  and  ranged 
along  the  sloping  hills  grew,  in  rich  luxuriance,  the  loveliest 
green  and  purple  grapes.  Citrons  and  melons  were  seen  in 
the  groves,  the  fragrance  of  myrtles  and  balsams  filled  the 
air,  and  by  the  wayside  gambolled  groups  of  pretty  merry 
children,  chasing  large  bright- winged  butterflies. 

But  the  swallow  did  not  rest  here  ;  still  he  flew  on ;  and 
still  the  scene  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  beautiful.  Near 
a  calm,  blue  lake,  overhung  by  lofty  trees,  stood  a  half-ruined 
palace  of  white  marble,  built  in  times  long  past ;  vine- wreaths 
trailed  up  the  long  slender  pillars,  and  on  the  capitals,  among 
the  green  leaves  and  waving  tendrils,  many  a  swallow  had 
built  his  nest,  and  one  of  these  nests  belonged  to  the  swallow 
on  whose  back  Tommelise  was  riding. 

'  This  is  my  house,'  said  the  swallow,  *  but  if  thou  wouldst 
rather  choose  for  thyself  one  of  the  splendid  flowers  growing 
beneath  us,  I  will  take  thee  there,  and  thou  shalt  make  thy 
home  in  the  loveliest  of  them  all.' 

4  That  will  be  charming  !  '  exclaimed  she,  clapping  her  tiny 
hands. 

On  the  green  turf  beneath  there  lay  the  fragments  of  a  white 
marble  column  which  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  and  around 
these  fragments  twined  some  beautiful  large  white  flowers. 
The  swallow  flew  down  with  Tommelise,  and  set  her  on  one  of 
the  broad  petals.  But  what  was  her  surprise  when  she  saw 
sitting  in  the  very  heart  of  the  flower  a  little  mannikin,  fair 
66 


TOMMELISE 

and  transparent  as  though  he  were  made  of  glass  !  wearing  the 
prettiest  gold  crown  on  his  head,  and  the  brightest,  most 
delicate  wings  on  his  shoulders,  yet  scarcely  one  whit  larger 
than  Tommelise  herself.  He  was  the  spirit  of  the  flower. 
In  every  blossom  there  dwelt  one  such  faery  youth  or  maiden, 
but  this  one  was  the  king  of  all  these  flower-spirits. 

4  Oh,  how  handsome  he  is,  this  king  ! '  whispered  Tommelise 
to  the  swallow.  The  faery  prince  was  quite  startled  at  the 
sudden  descent  of  the  swallow,  who  was  a  sort  of  giant  com- 
pared with  him  ;  but  when  he  saw  Tommelise  he  was  delighted, 
for  she  was  the  very  loveliest  maiden  he  had  ever  seen.  So  he 
took  his  gold  crown  off  his  own  head  and  set  it  upon  hers, 
asked  her  name,  and  whether  she  would  be  his  bride,  and  reign 
as  queen  over  all  the  flower-spirits.  This,  you  see,  was  quite  a 
different  bridegroom  from  the  son  of  the  ugly  old  toad,  or  the 
blind  mole  with  his  black-velvet  coat.  So  Tommelise  replied 
'  Yes  '  to  the  beautiful  prince,  and  then  the  lady  and  gentlemen 
faeries  came  out,  each  from  a  separate  flower,  to  pay  their 
homage  to  Tommelise ;  so  gracefully  and  courteously  they 
paid  their  homage  :  and  every  one  of  them  brought  her  a 
present. 

But  the  best  of  all  the  presents  was  a  pair  of  transparent 
wings ;  they  were  fastened  on  Tommelise's  shoulders,  and 
enabled  her  to  fly  from  flower  to  flower.  That  was  the  greatest 
of  pleasures ;  and  the  little  swallow  sat  in  his  nest  above  and 
sang  to  her  his  sweetest  song ;  in  his  heart,  however,  he  was 
very  sad,  for  he  loved  Tommelise,  and  would  have  wished  never 
to  part  from  her. 

4  Thou  shalt  no  longer  be  called  Tommelise,'  said  the  king 
of  flowers  to  her,  '  for  it  is  not  a  pretty  name,  and  thou  art  so 
lovely  !  We  will  call  thee  Maia.' 

4  Farewell !   farewell  1 '  sang  the  swallow,  and  away  he  flew 

67 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

from  the  warm  countries,  far  away  back  to  Denmark.  There 
he  had  a  little  nest  just  over  the  window  of  the  man  who  writes 
stories  for  children.  '  Quivit,  quivit,  quivit !  '  he  sang  to  him, 
and  from  him  we  have  learned  this  history. 


68 


THEY    CARRIED    THE    MIRROR    FROM    PLACE   TO    PLACE 


THE    SNOW    QUEEN 

IN  SEVEN  PARTS 
PART  THE  FIRST 

WHICH    TREATS    OF   THE    MIRROR   AND    ITS    FRAGMENTS 

CTEN !  We  are  beginning  our  story !  When  we 
arrive  at  the  end  of  it  we  shall,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
know  more  than  we  do  now.  There  was  once  a 
magician  !  a  wicked  magician  !  !  a  most  wicked  magician  !  !  ! 
Great  was  his  delight  at  having  constructed  a  mirror  possessing 
this  peculiarity,  viz.: — that  everything  good  and  beautiful, 
when  reflected  in  it,  shrank  up  almost  to  nothing,  whilst  those 
things  that  were  ugly  and  useless  were  magnified,  and  made 
to  appear  ten  times  worse  than  before.  The  loveliest  land- 
scapes reflected  in  this  mirror  looked  like  boiled  spinach ; 
and  the  handsomest  persons  appeared  odious,  or  as  if  standing 
upon  their  heads,  their  features  being  so  distorted  that  their 
friends  could  never  have  recognised  them.  Moreover,  if  one 
of  them  had  a  freckle,  he  might  be  sure  that  it  would  seem  to 
spread  over  the  nose  and  mouth  ;  and  if  a  good  or  pious  thought 
glanced  across  his  mind,  a  wrinkle  was  seen  in  the  mirror. 
All  this  the  magician  thought  highly  entertaining,  and  he 
chuckled  with  delight  at  his  own  clever  invention.  Those  who 
frequented  the  school  of  magic  where  he  taught  spread  abroad 
the  fame  of  this  wonderful  mirror,  and  declared  that  by  its 
means  the  world  and  its  inhabitants  might  be  seen  now  for  the 
70 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

first  time  as  they  really  were.  They  carried  the  mirror  from 
place  to  place,  till  at  last  there  was  no  country  nor  person 
that  had  not  been  misrepresented  in  it.  Its  admirers  now 
must  needs  fly  up  to  the  sky  with  it,  to  see  if  they  could 
carry  on  their  sport  even  there.  But  the  higher  they  flew  the 
more  wrinkled  did  the  mirror  become;  they  could  scarcely 
hold  it  together.  They  flew  on  and  on,  higher  and  higher, 
till  at  last  the  mirror  trembled  so  fearfully  that  it  escaped 


HE    CHUCKLED    WITH    DELIGHT 


from  their  hands,  and  fell  to  the  earth,  breaking  into  millions, 
billions,  and  trillions  of  pieces.  And  then  it  caused  far 
greater  unhappiness  than  before,  for  fragments  of  it,  scarcely 
so  large  as  a  grain  of  sand,  would  be  flying  about  in  the  air, 
and  sometimes  get  into  people's  eyes,  causing  them  to  view 
everything  the  wrong  way,  or  to  have  eyes  only  for  what 
was  perverted  and  corrupt ;  each  little  fragment  having 
retained  the  peculiar  properties  of  the  entire  mirror.  Some 
people  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  receive  a  little  splinter  into 

71 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

their  hearts — that  was  terrible !  The  heart  became  cold  and 
hard,  like  a  lump  of  ice.  Some  pieces  were  large  enough  to 
be  used  as  window  panes,  but  it  was  of  no  use  to  look  at 
one's  friends  through  such  panes  as  those.  Other  fragments 
were  made  into  spectacles,  and  then  what  trouble  people 
had  with  setting  and  re-setting  them  ! 

The  wicked  magician  was  greatly  amused  with  all  this,  and 
he  laughed  till  his  sides  ached. 

There  are  still  some  little  splinters  of  this  mischievous 
mirror  flying  about  in  the  air.  We  shall  hear  more  about  them 
very  soon. 


PART  THE  SECOND 

A   LITTLE    BOY  AND   A   LITTLE    GIRL 

IN  a  large  town,  where  there  are  so  many  houses  and 
inhabitants  that  there  is  not  room  enough  for  all  the  people 
to  possess  a  little  garden  of  their  own,  and  therefore  many 
are  obliged  to  content  themselves  with  keeping  a  few  plants 
in  pots,  there  dwelt  two  poor  children,  whose  garden  was 
somewhat  larger  than  a  flower-pot.  They  were  not  brother 
and  sister,  but  they  loved  each  other  as  much  as  if  they 
had  been,  and  their  parents  lived  in  two  attics  exactly 
opposite.  The  roof  of  one  neighbour's  house  nearly  joined  the 
other,  the  gutter  ran  along  between,  and  there  was  in  each  roof 
a  little  window,  so  that  you  could  stride  across  the  gutter  from 
one  window  to  the  other.  The  parents  of  each  child  had  a 
large  wooden  box  in  which  grew  herbs  for  kitchen  use,  and 
they  had  placed  these  boxes  upon  the  gutter,  so  near  that  they 
almost  touched  each  other.  A  beautiful  little  rose-tree  grew 
72 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

in  each  box,  scarlet  runners  entwined  their  long  shoots  over 
the  windows,  and,  uniting  with  the  branches  of  the  rose-trees, 
formed  a  flowery  arch  across  the  street.  The  boxes  were  very 
high,  and  the  children  knew  that  they  might  not  climb  over 
them,  but  they  often  obtained  leave  to  sit  on  their  little  stools, 
under  the  rose-trees,  and  thus  they  passed  many  a  delightful 
hour. 

But  when  winter  came  there  was  an  end  to  these  pleasures. 
The  windows  were  often  quite  frozen  over,  and  then  they 
heated  halfpence  on  the  stove,  held  the  warm  copper  against 
the  frozen  pane,  and  thus  made  a  little  round  peep-hole, 
behind  which  would  sparkle  a  bright  gentle  eye,  one  from  each 
window. 

The  little  boy  was  called  Kay,  the  little  girl's  name  was 
Gerda.  In  summer-time  they  could  get  out  of  window  and 
jump  over  to  each  other ;  but  in  winter  there  were  stairs  to 
run  down,  and  stairs  to  run  up,  and  sometimes  the  wind  roared, 
and  the  snow  fell  without-doors. 

4  Those  are  the  white  bees  swarming  there ! '  said  the  old 
grandmother. 

'  Have  they  a  Queen  bee  ?  '  asked  the  little  boy,  for  he 
knew  that  the  real  bees  have  one. 

'  They  have,'  said  the  grandmother.  '  She  flies  yonder 
where  they  swarm  so  thickly ;  she  is  the  largest  of  them,  and 
never  remains  upon  the  earth,  but  flies  up  again  into  the  black 
cloud.  Sometimes  on  a  winter's  night  she  flies  through  the 
streets  of  the  town,  and  breathes  with  her  frosty  breath  upon 
the  windows,  and  then  they  are  covered  with  strange  and 
beautiful  forms,  like  trees  and  flowers.' 

'  Yes,  I  have  seen  them  ! '  said  both  the  children— they 
knew  that  this  was  true. 

'  Can  the  Snow  Queen  come  in  here  ?  '  asked  the  little  girl. 

73 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

*  If  she  do  come  in,'  said  the  boy,  '  I  will  put  her  on  the 
warm  stove  and  then  she  will  melt.' 

And  the  grandmother  stroked  his  hair  and  told  him  some 
stories. 

That  same  evening,  after  little  Kay  had  gone  home,  and 
was  half  undressed,  he  crept  upon  the  chair  by  the  window 
and  peeped  through  the  little  round  hole.  Just  then  a  few 
snow-flakes  fell  outside,  and  one,  the  largest  of  them,  remained 
lying  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  flower-pots.  The  snow-flake 
appeared  larger  and  larger,  and  at  last  took  the  form  of  a  lady 
dressed  in  the  finest  white  crape,  her  attire  being  composed  of 
millions  of  star-like  particles.  She  was  exquisitely  fair  and 
delicate,  but  entirely  of  ice,  glittering,  dazzling  ice ;  her  eyes 
gleamed  like  two  bright  stars,  but  there  was  no  rest  or  repose 
in  them.  She  nodded  at  the  window,  and  beckoned  with  her 
hand.  The  little  boy  was  frightened  and  jumped  down  from 
the  chair ;  he  then  fancied  he  saw  a  large  bird  fly  past  the 
window. 

There  was  a  clear  frost  next  day,  and  soon  afterwards 
came  spring — the  trees  and  flowers  budded,  the  swallows  built 
their  nests,  the  windows  were  opened,  and  the  little  children 
sat  once  more  in  their  little  garden  upon  the  gutter  that  ran 
along  the  roofs  of  the  houses. 

The  roses  blossomed  beautifully  that  summer,  and  the  little 
girl  had  learned  a  hymn  in  which  there  was  something  about 
roses  ;  it  reminded  her  of  her  own.  So  she  sang  it  to  the  little 
boy,  and  he  sang  it  with  her. 

'  Our  roses  bloom  and  fade  away, 
Our  Infant  Lord  abides  alway  ; 
May  we  be  blessed  His  face  to  see, 
And  ever  little  children  be ! ' 

And  the  little  ones  held  each  other  by  the  hand,  kissed  the 

74 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

roses,  and  looked  up  into  the  blue  sky,  talking  away  all  the 
time.  What  glorious  summer  days  were  those !  how  delight- 
ful it  was  to  sit  under  those  rose-trees  which  seemed  as  if  they 
never  intended  to  leave  off  blossoming !  One  day  Kay  and 
Gerda  were  sitting  looking  at  their  picture-book  full  of  birds 
and  animals,  when  suddenly— the  clock  on  the  old  church 
tower  was  just  striking  five — Kay  exclaimed,  '  Oh,  dear  !  what 
was  that  shooting  pain  in  my  heart :  and  now  again,  something 
has  certainly  got  into  my  eye  ! ' 

The  little  girl  turned  and  looked  at  him.  He  winked  his 
eyes  ;  no,  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen. 

'  I  believe  it  is  gone,'  said  he  ;  but  gone  it  was  not.  It  was 
one  of  those  glass  splinters  from  the  Magic  Mirror,  the  wicked 
glass  which  made  everything  great  and  good  reflected  in  it  to 
appear  little  and  hateful,  and  which  magnified  everything 
ugly  and  mean.  Poor  Kay  had  also  received  a  splinter  in  his 
heart ;  it  would  now  become  hard  and  cold  like  a  lump  of  ice. 
He  felt  the  pain  no  longer,  but  the  splinter  was  there. 

*  Why  do  you  cry  ?  '  asked  he  ;  '  you  look  so  ugly  when 
you  cry  !  there  is  nothing  the  matter  with  me.  Fie  ! '  ex- 
claimed he  again,  4  this  rose  has  an  insect  in  it,  and  just  look 
at  this  !  After  all,  they  are  ugly  roses  !  and  it  is  an  ugly  box 
they  grow  in  ! '  then  he  kicked  the  box,  and  tore  off  the  roses. 

4  O  Kay,  what  are  you  doing  ?  '  cried  the  little  girl,  but 
when  he  saw  how  it  grieved  her,  he  tore  off  another  rose,  and 
jumped  down  through  his  own  window,  away  from  his  once 
dear  little  Gerda. 

Ever  afterwards  when  she  brought  forward  the  picture- 
book,  he  called  it  a  baby's  book,  and  when  her  grandmother 
told  stories,  he  interrupted  her  with  a  *  but,'  and  sometimes, 
whenever  he  could  manage  it,  he  would  get  behind  her,  put  on 
her  spectacles,  and  speak  just  as  she  did  ;  he  did  this  in  a  very 

75 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

droll  manner,  and  so  people  laughed  at  him.  Very  soon  he 
could  mimic  everybody  in  the  street.  All  that  was  singular 
and  awkward  about  them  could  Kay  imitate,  and  his  neigh- 
bours said,  '  What  a  remarkable  head  that  boy  has  ! '  But 
no,  it  was  the  glass  splinter  which  had  fallen  into  his  eye,  the 
glass  splinter  which  had  pierced  into  his  heart — it  was  these 
which  made  him  regardless  whose  feelings  he  wounded,  and 
even  made  him  tease  the  little  Gerda  who  loves  him  so  fondly. 

His  games  were  now  quite  different  from  what  they  used 
to  be,  they  were  so  rational !  One  winter's  day  when  it  was 
snowing,  he  came  out  with  a  large  burning-glass  in  his  hand, 
and  holding  up  the  skirts  of  his  blue  coat  let  the  snow-flakes 
fall  upon  them.  '  Now  look  through  the  glass,  Gerda  ! '  said 
he,  returning  to  the  house.  Every  snow-flake  seemed  much 
larger,  and  resembled  a  splendid  flower,  or  a  star  with  ten 
points  ;  they  were  quite  beautiful.  '  See,  how  curious  ! '  said 
Kay,  *  these  are  far  more  interesting  than  real  flowers,  there 
is  not  a  single  blemish  in  them ;  they  would  be  quite  perfect 
if  only  they  did  not  melt.' 

Soon  after  this  Kay  came  in  again,  with  thick  gloves  on 
his  hands,  and  his  sledge  slung  across  his  back.  He  called  out 
to  Gerda,  4 1  have  got  leave  to  drive  on  the  great  square  where 
the  other  boys  play  ! '  and  away  he  went. 

The  boldest  boys  in  the  square  used  to  fasten  their  sledges 
firmly  to  the  wagons  of  the  country  people,  and  thus  drive  a 
good  way  along  with  them ;  this  they  thought  particularly 
pleasant.  Whilst  they  were  in  the  midst  of  their  play,  a  large 
sledge  painted  white  passed  by  ;  in  it  sat  a  person  wrapped  in 
a  rough  white  fur,  and  wearing  a  rough  white  cap.  When  the 
sledge  had  driven  twice  round  the  square,  Kay  bound  to  it  his 
little  sledge,  and  was  carried  on  with  it.  On  they  went,  faster 
and  faster,  into  the  next  street.  The  person  who  drove  the 
76 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

large  sledge  turned  round  and  nodded  kindly  to  Kay,  just  as 
if  they  had  been  old  acquaintances,  and  every  time  Kay  was 
going  to  loose  his  little  sledge  turned  and  nodded  again,  as  if 
to  signify  that  he  must  stay.  So  Kay  sat  still,  and  they 
passed  through  the  gates  of  the  town.  Then  the  snow  began 
to  fall  so  thickly  that  the  little  boy  could  not  see  his  own  hand, 
but  he  was  still  carried  on.  He  tried  hastily  to  unloose  the 
cords  and  free  himself  from  the  large  sledge,  but  it  was  of  no 
use ;  his  little  carriage  could  not  be  unfastened,  and  glided 
on  swift  as  the  wind.  Then  he  cried  out  as  loud  as  he  could, 
but  no  one  heard  him,  the  snow  fell  and  the  sledge  flew  ;  every 
now  and  then  it  made  a  spring  as  if  driving  over  hedges  and 
ditches.  He  was  very  much  frightened ;  he  would  have 
repeated  '  Our  Father,'  but  he  could  remember  nothing  but 
the  multiplication  table. 

The  snow-flakes  seemed  larger  and  larger,  at  last  they  looked 
like  great  white  fowls.  All  at  once  they  fell  aside,  the  large 
sledge  stopped,  and  the  person  who  drove  it  arose  from  the 
seat.  He  saw  that  the  cap  and  coat  were  entirely  of  snow, 
that  it  was  a  lady,  tall  and  slender,  and  dazzlingly  white — it 
was  the  Snow  Queen  ! 

4  We  have  driven  fast ! '  said  she,  '  but  no  one  likes  to  be 
frozen ;  creep  under  my  bear-skin,'  and  she  seated  him  in  the 
sledge  by  her  side,  and  spread  her  cloak  around  him — he  felt 
as  if  he  were  sinking  into  a  drift  of  snow. 

*  Are  you  still  cold  ?  '  asked  she,  and  then  she  kissed  his 
brow.  Oh !  her  kiss  was  colder  than  ice.  It  went  to  his 
heart,  although  that  was  half  frozen  already ;  he  thought  he 
should  die.  It  was,  however,  only  for  a  moment ;  directly 
afterwards  he  was  quite  well,  and  no  longer  felt  the  intense 
cold  around. 

'  My  sledge  !  do  not  forget  my  sledge  !  '—he  thought  first 

77 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

of  that — it  was  fastened  to  one  of  the  white  fowls  which  flew 
behind  with  it  on  his  back.  The  Snow  Queen  kissed  Kay 
again,  and  he  entirely  forgot  little  Gerda,  her  grandmother, 
and  all  at  home. 

'  Now  you  must  have  no  more  kisses  !  '  said  she,  '  else  I 
should  kiss  thee  to  death.' 

Kay  looked  at  her,  she  was  so  beautiful ;  a  more  intelligent, 
more  lovely  countenance,  he  could  not  imagine  ;  she  no  longer 
appeared  to  him  ice,  cold  ice  as  at  the  time  when  she  sat  outside 
the  window  and  beckoned  to  him  ;  in  his  eyes  she  was  perfect ; 
he  felt  no  fear.  He  told  her  how  well  he  could  reckon  in  his 
head,  even  fractions ;  that  he  knew  the  number  of  square 
miles  of  every  country,  and  the  number  of  the  inhabitants 
contained  in  different  towns.  She  smiled,  and  then  it  occurred 
to  him  that,  after  all,  he  did  not  yet  know  so  very  much.  He 
looked  up  into  the  wide,  wide  space,  and  she  flew  with  him 
high  up  into  the  black  cloud  while  the  storm  was  raging ; 
it  seemed  now  to  Kay  as  though  singing  songs  of  olden  time. 

They  flew  over  woods  and  over  lakes,  over  sea  and  over 
land ;  beneath  them  the  cold  wind  whistled,  the  wolves 
howled,  the  snow  glittered,  and  the  black  crow  flew  cawing 
over  the  plain,  whilst  above  them  shone  the  moon,  so  clear  and 
tranquil. 

Thus  did  Kay  spend  the  long,  long  winter  night ;  all  day 
he  slept  at  the  feet  of  the  Snow  Queen. 


SHE    WORE    A    LARGE    HAT,    WITH    MOST    BEAUTIFUL 
FLOWERS    PAINTED    ON    IT 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 
PART  THE  THIRD 

THE   ENCHANTED    FLOWER-GARDEN 

BUT  how  fared  it  with  little  Gerda  when  Kay  never  re- 
turned ?  Where  could  he  be  ?  No  one  knew,  no  one 
could  give  any  account  of  him.  The  boy  said  that  they  had 
seen  him  fasten  his  sledge  to  another  larger  and  very  hand- 
some one  which  had  driven  into  the  street,  and  thence 
through  the  gates  of  the  town.  No  one  knew  where  he 
was,  and  many  were  the  tears  that  were  shed ;  little  Gerda 
wept  much  and  long,  for  the  boys  said  he  must  be  dead,  he 
must  have  been  drowned  in  the  river  that  flowed  not  far  from 
the  town.  Oh,  how  long  and  dismal  the  winter  days  were 
now  !  At  last  came  the  spring,  with  its  warm  sunshine. 

'  Alas,  Kay  is  dead  and  gone,'  said  little  Gerda. 

'  That  I  do  not  believe,'  said  the  sunshine. 

1  He  is  dead  and  gone,'  said  she  to  the  swallows. 

'  That  we  do  not  believe,'  returned  they,  and  at  last  little 
Gerda  herself  did  not  believe  it. 

4 1  will  put  on  my  new  red  shoes,'  said  she  one  morning, 
'  those  which  Kay  has  never  seen,  and  then  I  will  go  down  to 
the  river  and  ask  after  him.' 

It  was  quite  early.  She  kissed  her  old  grandmother,  who 
was  still  sleeping,  put  on  her  red  shoes,  and  went  alone  through 
the  gates  of  the  town  towards  the  river. 

'  Is  it  true,'  said  she,  '  that  thou  hast  taken  my  little  play- 
fellow away  ?  I  will  give  thee  my  red  shoes  if  thou  wilt  restore 
him  to  me  ! ' 

And  the  wavelets  of  the  river  flowed  towards  her  in  a 
manner  which  she  fancied  was  unusual ;  she  fancied  that  they 
80 


intended  to  accept  her  offer,  so  she  took  off  her  red  shoes — 
though  she  prized  them  more  than  anything  else  she  possessed 
— and  threw  them  into  the  stream  ;  but  they  fell  near  the  shore, 
and  the  little  waves  bore  them  back  to  her,  as  though  they 
would  not  take  from  her  what  she  most  prized,  as  they  had  not 
got  little  Kay.  However,  she  thought  she  had  not  thrown 
the  shoes  far  enough,  so  she  stepped  into  a  little  boat  which 
lay  among  the  reeds  by  the  shore,  and,  standing  at  the  farthest 
end  of  it,  threw  them  from  thence  into  the  water.  The  boat 
was  not  fastened,  and  her  movements  in  it  caused  it  to  glide 
away  from  the  shore.  She  saw  this,  and  hastened  to  get  out, 
but  by  the  time  she  reached  the  other  end  of  the  boat  it  was 
more  than  a  yard  distant  from  the  land  ;  she  could  not  escape, 
and  the  boat  glided  on. 

Little  Gerda  was  much  frightened  and  began  to  cry,  but 
no  one  besides  the  sparrows  heard  her,  and  they  could  not 
carry  her  back  to  the  land ;  however,  they  flew  along  the 
banks,  and  sang,  as  if  to  comfort  her,  '  Here  we  are,  here  we 
are  ! '  The  boat  followed  the  stream.  Little  Gerda  sat  in  it 
quite  still ;  her  red  shoes  floated  behind  her,  but  they  could 
not  overtake  the  boat,  which  glided  along  faster  than  they  did. 

Beautiful  were  the  shores  of  that  river ;  lovely  flowers, 
stately  old  trees,  and  bright  green  hills  dotted  with  sheep  and 
cows,  were  seen  in  abundance,  but  not  a  single  human  being. 

'  Perhaps  the  river  may  bear  me  to  my  dear  Kay,'  thought 
Gerda,  and  then  she  became  more  cheerful,  and  amused  herself 
for  hours  with  looking  at  the  lovely  country  around  her.  At 
last  she  glided  past  a  large  cherry-garden,  wherein  stood  a 
little  cottage  with  thatched  roof  and  curious  red  and  blue 
windows ;  two  wooden  soldiers  stood  at  the  door,  who  pre- 
sented arms  when  they  saw  the  little  vessel  approach. 

Gerda  called  to  them,  thinking  that  they  were  alive,  but 
F  81 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

they,  naturally  enough,  made  no  answer.     She  came  close  up 
to  them,  for  the  stream  drifted  the  boat  to  the  land. 

Gerda  called  still  louder,  whereupon  an  old  lady  came  out 
of  the  house,  supporting  herself  on  a  crutch  ;  she  wore  a  large 
hat,  with  most  beautiful  flowers  painted  on  it. 

'  Thou  poor  little  child  !  '  said  the  old  woman,  '  the  mighty 
flowing  river  has  indeed  borne  thee  a  long,  long  way,'  and  she 
walked  right  into  the  water,  seized  the  boat  with  her  crutch, 
drew  it  to  land,  and  took  out  the  little  girl. 

Gerda  was  glad  to  be  on  dry  land  again,  although  she  was  a 
little  afraid  of  the  strange  old  lady. 

4  Come  and  tell  me  who  thou  art,  and  how  thou  earnest 
hither,'  said  she. 

And  Gerda  told  her  all,  and  the  old  lady  shook  her  head, 
and  said,  '  Hem  !  hem  !  '  And  when  Gerda  asked  if  she  had 
seen  little  Kay,  the  lady  said  that  he  had  not  arrived  there  yet, 
but  that  he  would  be  sure  to  come  soon,  and  that  in  the  mean- 
time Gerda  must  not  be  sad ;  that  she  might  stay  with  her, 
might  eat  her  cherries,  and  look  at  her  flowers,  which  were 
prettier  than  any  picture-book,  and  could  each  tell  her  a 
story. 

She  then  took  Gerda  by  the  hand  ;  they  went  together  into 
the  cottage,  and  the  old  lady  shut  the  door.  The  windows 
were  very  high  and  their  panes  of  different  coloured  glass,  red, 
blue,  and  yellow,  so  that  when  the  bright  daylight  streamed 
through  them,  various  and  beautiful  were  the  hues  reflected 
upon  the  room.  Upon  a  table  in  the  centre  was  placed  a  plate 
of  very  fine  cherries,  and  of  these  Gerda  was  allowed  to  eat  as 
many  as  she  liked.  And  whilst  she  was  eating  them,  the  old 
dame  combed  her  hair  with  a  golden  comb,  and  the  bright 
flaxen  ringlets  fell  on  each  side  of  her  pretty,  gentle  face,  which 
looked  as  round  and  as  fresh  as  a  rose. 
82 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

'  I  have  long  wished  for  such  a  dear  little  girl,'  said  the  old 
lady.  '  We  shall  see  if  we  cannot  live  very  happily  together.' 
And,  as  she  combed  little  Gerda's  hair,  the  child  thought 
less  and  less  of  her  foster-brother  Kay,  for  the  old  lady  was  an 
enchantress.  She  did  not,  however,  practise  magic  for  the  sake 
of  mischief,  but  merely  for  her  own  amusement.  And  now  she 
wished  very  much  to  keep  little  Gerda,  to  live  with  her ;  so, 
fearing  that  if  Gerda  saw  her  roses,  she  would  be  reminded  of 
her  own  flowers  and  of  little  Kay,  and  that  then  she  might  run 
away,  she  went  out  into  the  garden,  and  extended  her  crutch 
over  all  her  rose-bushes,  upon  which,  although  they  were  full 
of  leaves  and  blossoms,  they  immediately  sank  into  the  black 
earth,  and  no  one  would  have  guessed  that  such  plants  had 
ever  grown  there. 

Then  she  led  Gerda  into  this  flower-garden.  Oh  how 
beautiful  and  how  fragrant  it  was  !  Flowers  of  all  seasons  and 
all  climes  grew  there  in  fulness  of  beauty — certainly  no  picture- 
book  could  be  compared  with  it.  Gerda  bounded  with  delight, 
and  played  among  the  flowers  till  the  sun  set  behind  the  tall 
cherry-trees  ;  after  which  a  pretty  little  bed,  with  crimson  silk 
cushions,  stuffed  with  blue  violet  leaves,  was  prepared  for  her, 
and  here  she  slept  so  sweetly  and  had  such  dreams  as  a  queen 
might  have  on  her  bridal  eve. 

The  next  day  she  again  played  among  the  flowers  in 
the  warm  sunshine,  and  many  more  days  were  spent  in  the 
same  manner.  Gerda  knew  every  flower  in  the  garden,  but, 
numerous  as  they  were,  it  seemed  to  her  that  one  was  want- 
ing, she  could  not  tell  which.  She  was  sitting  one  day,  looking 
at  her  hostess's  hat,  which  had  flowers  painted  on  it,  and, 
behold,  the  loveliest  among  them  was  a  rose  !  The  old  lady 
had  entirely  forgotten  the  painted  rose  on  her  hat,  when  she 
made  the  real  roses  to  disappear  from  her  garden  and  sink 

83 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

into  the  ground.     This  is  often  the  case  when  things  are  done 
hastily. 

4  What,'  cried  Greda,  '  are  there  no  roses  in  the  garden  ?  ' 
And  she  ran  from  one  bed  to  another,  sought  and  sought  again, 
but  no  rose  was  to  be  found.  She  sat  down  and  wept,  and  it 
so  chanced  that  her  tears  fell  on  a  spot  where  a  rose-tree  had 
formerly  stood,  and  as  soon  as  her  warm  tears  had  moistened 
the  earth,  the  bush  shot  up  anew,  as  fresh  and  as  blooming  as 
it  was  before  it  had  sunk  into  the  ground ;  and  Gerda  threw 
her  arms  around  it,  kissed  the  blossoms,  and  immediately 
recalled  to  memory  the  beautiful  roses  at  home,  and  her  little 
playfellow  Kay.  '  Oh,  how  could  I  stay  here  so  long  !  '  ex- 
claimed the  little  maiden.  '  I  left  my  home  to  seek  for  Kay. 
Do  you  know  where  he  is  ?  '  she  asked  of  the  roses  ;  c  think 
you  that  he  is  dead  ?  ' 

4  Dead  he  is  not,'  said  the  roses.  '  We  have  been  down  in 
the  earth  ;  the  dead  are  there,  but  not  Kay.' 

4 1  thank  you,'  said  little  Gerda,  and  she  went  to  the  other 
flowers,  bent  low  over  their  cups,  and  asked,  '  Know  you  not 
where  little  Kay  is  ?  ' 

But  every  flower  stood  in  the  sunshine  dreaming  its  own 
little  tale.  They  related  their  stories  to  Gerda,  but  none  of 
them  knew  anything  of  Kay. 

4  And  what  think  you  ?  '  said  the  tiger-lily. 

4  Listen  to  the  drums  beating,  boom  !  boom  !  They  have 
but  two  notes,  always  boom  !  boom  !  Listen  to  the  dirge  the 
women  are  singing  !  Listen  to  the  chorus  of  priests  !  En- 
veloped in  her  long  red  robes  stands  the  Hindoo  wife  on  the 
funeral  pile ;  the  flames  blaze  around  her  and  her  dead  husband, 
but  the  Hindoo  wife  thinks  not  of  the  dead.  She  thinks  only 
of  the  living,  and  the  anguish  which  consumes  her  spirit  is 
keener  than  the  fire  which  will  soon  reduce  her  body  to  ashes. 
84 


The  swing  moves  and  the  bubbles  fly  upward  with  bright,  ever- 
changing  colours 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

Can  the  flame  of  the  heart  expire  amid  the  flames  of  the  funeral 
pile  ?  ' 

'  I  do  not  understand  that  at  all !  '  said  little  Gerda. 

'  That  is  my  tale  ! '  said  the  tiger-lily. 

'  What  says  the  convolvulus  ?  J 

4  Hanging  over  a  narrow  mountain  causeway,  behold  an 
ancient,  baronial  castle.  Thick  evergreens  grow  amongst  the 
time  stained  walls,  their  leafy  branches  entwine  about  the 
balcony,  and  there  stands  a  beautiful  maiden  ;  she  bends  over 
the  balustrades  and  fixes  her  eyes  with  eager  expectation  on 
the  road  winding  beneath.  The  rose  hangs  not  fresher  and 
lovelier  on  its  stem  than  she ;  the  apple-blossom  which  the 
wind  threatens  every  moment  to  tear  from  its  branch  is  not 
more  fragile  and  trembling.  Listen  to  the  rustling  of  her 
rich  silken  robe  !  Listen  to  her  half -whispered  words,  "  He 
comes  not  yet " 

'  Is  it  Kay  you  mean  ?  '  asked  little  Gerda. 

'  I  do  but  tell  you  my  tale — my  dream,'  replied  the  con- 
volvulus. 

4  What  says  the  little  snowdrop  ?  ' 

'  Between  two  trees  hangs  a  swing.  Two  pretty  little 
maidens,  their  dress  as  white  as  snow,  and  long  green  ribbands 
fluttering  from  their  hats,  sit  and  swing  themselves  in  it. 
Their  brother  stands  up  in  the  swing,  he  has  thrown  his  arms 
round  the  ropes  to  keep  himself  steady,  for  in  one  hand  he 
holds  a  little  cup,  in  the  other  a  pipe  made  of  clay  ;  he  is  blow- 
ing soap  bubbles.  The  swing  moves  and  the  bubbles  fly 
upwards  with  bright,  ever-changing  colours ;  the  last  hovers 
on  the  edge  of  the  pipe,  and  moves  with  the  wind.  The  swing 
is  still  in  motion,  and  the  little  black  dog,  almost  as  light  as 
the  soap  bubbles,  rises  on  his  hind  feet  and  tries  to  get  into  the 
swing  also ;  away  goes  the  swing,  the  dog  falls,  is  out  of 

85 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

temper,  and  barks  ;  he  is  laughed  at,  and  the  bubbles  burst. 
A  swinging  board,  a  frothy,  fleeting  image  is  my  song.' 

'  What  you  describe  may  be  all  very  pretty,  but  you  speak 
so  mournfully,  and  there  is  nothing  about  Kay.' 

'  What  say  the  hyacinths  ?  ' 

*  There  were  three  fair  sisters,  transparent  and  delicate  they 
were ;  the  kirtle  of  the  one  was  red,  that  of  the  second  blue, 
of  the  third  pure  white ;  hand  in  hand  they  danced  in  the 
moonlight  beside  the  quiet  lake  ;  they  were  not  fairies,  but 
daughters  of  men.  Sweet  was  the  fragrance  when  the  maidens 
vanished  into  the  wood  ;  the  fragrance  grew  stronger ;  three 
biers,  whereon  lay  the  fair  sisters,  glided  out  from  the  depths 
of  the  wood,  and  floated  upon  the  lake  ;  the  glow-worms  flew 
shining  around  like  little  hovering  lamps.  Sleep  the  dancing 
maidens,  or  are  they  dead  ?  The  odour  from  the  flowers  tells 
us  they  are  corpses,  the  evening  bells  peal  out  their  dirge.' 

4  You  make  me  quite  sad,'  said  little  Gerda.  '  Your 
fragrance  is  so  strong  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  dead 
maidens.  Alas  !  and  is  little  Kay  dead  ?  The  roses  have 
been  under  the  earth,  and  they  say  no  !  ' 

'  Ding  dong  !  ding  dong  !  '  rang  the  hyacinth  bells.  *  We 
toll  not  for  little  Kay,  we  know  him  not !  We  do  but  sing  our 
own  song,  the  only  one  we  know  ! ' 

And  Gerda  went  to  the  buttercup,  which  shone  so  brightly 
from  among  her  smooth  green  leaves. 

4  Thou  art  like  a  little  bright  sun,'  said  Gerda ;  '  tell  me, 
if  thou  canst,  where  I  may  find  my  playfellow.' 

And  the  buttercup  glittered  so  brightly,  and  looked  at 
Gerda.  What  song  could  the  buttercup  sing  ?  Neither  was 
hers  about  Kay.  4  One  bright  spring  morning,  the  sun  shone 
warmly  upon  a  little  court-yard.  The  bright  beams  streamed 
down  the  white  walls  of  a  neighbouring  house,  and  close  by 
86 


GERDA    KNEW    EVERY    FLOWER    IN    THE    GARDEN 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

grew  the  first  yellow  flower  of  spring,  glittering  like  gold  in 
the  warm  sunshine.  An  old  grandmother  sat  without  in  her 
arm-chair,  her  grand-daughter,  a  pretty,  lowly  maiden,  had 
just  returned  home  from  a  short  visit ;  she  kissed  her  grand- 
mother ;  there  was  gold,  pure  gold,  in  that  loving  kiss  : 

'  Gold  was  the  flower  ! 
Gold  the  fresh,  bright,  morning  hour  ! ' 

4  That  is  my  little  story,'  said  the  buttercup. 

4  My  poor  old  grandmother  !  '  sighed  Gerda  ;  4  yes,  she 
must  be  wishing  for  me,  just  as  she  wished  for  little  Kay. 
But  I  shall  soon  go  home  again,  and  take  Kay  with  me.  It  is 
of  no  use  to  ask  the  flowers  about  him  ;  they  only  know  their 
own  song,  they  can  give  me  no  information.'  And  she  folded 
her  little  frock  round  her,  that  she  might  run  the  faster ;  but, 
in  jumping  over  the  narcissus,  it  caught  her  foot,  as  if  wishing 
to  stop  her,  so  she  turned  and  looked  at  the  tall  yellow  flower, 
*  Have  you  any  news  to  give  me  ?  '  She  bent  over  the  narcissus, 
waiting  for  an  answer. 

And  what  said  the  narcissus  ? 

*  I  can  look  at  myself  ! — I  can  see  myself  !  Oh,  how  sweet 
is  my  fragrance  ! '  Up  in  the  little  attic-chamber  stands  a 
little  dancer.  She  rests  sometimes  on  one  leg,  sometimes  on 
two.  She  has  trampled  the  whole  world  under  her  feet ;  she 
is  nothing  but  an  illusion.  She  pours  water  from  a  tea-pot 
upon  a  piece  of  cloth  she  holds  in  her  hand — it  is  her  bodice ; 
cleanliness  is  a  fine  thing !  Her  white  dress  hangs  on  the 
hook,  that  has  also  been  washed  by  the  water  from  the  tea- 
pot, and  dried  on  the  roof  of  the  house.  She  puts  it  on,  and 
wraps  a  saffron-coloured  handkerchief  round  her  neck ;  it 
makes  the  dress  look  all  the  whiter.  With  one  leg  extended, 
88 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

there  she  stands,  as  though  on  a  stalk.     c  I  can  look  at  myself  ! 
— I  see  myself  ! ' 

'  I  don't  care  if  you  do  ! '  said  Gerda.  '  You  need  not  have 
told  me  that ! '  and  away  she  ran  to  the  end  of  the  garden. 

The  gate  was  closed,  but  she  pressed  upon  the  rusty  lock 
till  it  broke.  The  gate  sprang  open,  and  little  Gerda,  with 
bare  feet,  ran  out  into  the  wide  world.  Three  times  she  looked 
back,  there  was  no  one  following  her ;  she  ran  till  she  could 
run  no  longer,  and  then  sat  down  to  rest  upon  a  large  stone. 
Casting  a  glance  around,  she  saw  that  the  summer  was  past, 
that  it  was  now  late  in  the  autumn.  Of  course,  she  had  not 
remarked  this  in  the  enchanted  garden,  where  there  were  sun- 
shine and  flowers  all  the  year  round. 

1  How  long  I  must  have  stayed  there  ! '  said  little  Gerda. 
'  So,  it  is  now  autumn  !  Well,  then,  there  is  no  time  to  lose  !  ' 
and  she  rose  to  pursue  her  way. 

Oh,  how  sore  and  weary  were  her  little  feet ;  and  all  around 
looked  so  cold  and  barren.  The  long  willow-leaves  had  already 
turned  yellow,  and  the  dew  trickled  down  from  them  like  water. 
The  leaves  fell  off  the  trees,  one  by  one ;  the  sloe  alone  bore 
fruit,  and  its  berries  were  so  sharp  and  bitter  !  Cold,  and  grey, 
and  sad  seemed  the  world  to  her  that  day. 


89 


PART  THE  FOURTH 

THE    PRINCE   AND    THE    PRINCESS 

GERDA  was  again  obliged  to  stop  and  take  rest.  Suddenly 
a  large  raven  hopped  upon  the  snow  in  front  of  her,  saying, 
4  Caw  ! — Caw  ! — Good-day  ! — Good-day  !  '  He  sat  for  some 
time  on  the  withered  branch  of  a  tree  just  opposite,  eyeing 
the  little  maiden,  and  wagging  his  head,  and  he  now  came 
forward  to  make  acquaintance  and  to  ask  her  whither  she  was 
going  all  alone.  That  word  '  alone '  Gerda  understood  right 
well — she  felt  how  sad  a  meaning  it  has.  She  told  the 
raven  the  history  of  her  life  and  fortunes,  and  asked  if  he 
had  seen  Kay. 

And  the  raven  nodded  his  head,  half  doubtfully,  and  said, 
4  That  is  possible — possible.' 

4  Do  you  think  so  ?  '  exclaimed  the  little  girl,  and  she  kissed 
the  raven  so  vehemently  that  it  is  a  wonder  she  did  not  squeeze 
him  to  death. 

*  More  moderately  ! — moderately  ! '  said  the  raven.  '  I 
think  I  know.  I  think  it  may  be  little  Kay ;  but  he  has 
certainly  forsaken  thee  for  the  princess.' 

4  Dwells  he  with  a  princess  ?  '  asked  Gerda. 

4  Listen  to  me,'  said  the  raven,  4  but  it  is  so  difficult  to 
speak  your  language  !     Do  you  understand   Ravenish  ?     If 
so,  I  can  tell  you  much  better.' 
90 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

4  No  !  I  have  never  learned  Ravenish,'  said  Gerda,  '  but 
my  grandmother  knew  it,  and  Pye-language  also.  Oh,  how 
I  wish  I  had  learned  it ! ' 

4  Never  mind,'  said  the  raven,  4  I  will  relate  my  story  in  the 
best  manner  I  can,  though  bad  will  be  the  best ' ;  and  he  told 
all  he  knew. 

4  In  the  kingdom  wherein  we  are  now  sitting,  there  dwells  a 
princess,  a  most  uncommonly  clever  princess.  All  the  news- 
papers in  the  world  has  she  read,  and  forgotten  them  again, 
so  clever  is  she.  It  is  not  long  since  she  ascended  the  throne, 
which  I  have  heard  is  not  quite  so  agreeable  a  situation  as  one 
would  fancy ;  and  immediately  after  she  began  to  sing  a  new 
song,  the  burden  of  which  was  this,  "  Why  should  I  not  marry 
me  ?  >!  "  There  is  some  sense  in  this  song  !  "  said  she,  and  she 
determined  she  would  marry,  but  at  the  same  time  declared 
that  the  man  whom  she  would  choose  must  be  able  to 
answer  sensibly  whenever  people  spoke  to  him,  and  must 
be  good  for  something  else  besides  merely  looking  grand  and 
stately.  The  ladies  of  the  court  were  then  all  drummed 
together,  in  order  to  be  informed  of  her  intentions,  whereupon 
they  were  highly  delighted,  and  one  exclaimed,  "  That  is  just 
what  I  wish  "  ;  and  another,  that  she  had  lately  been  thinking 
of  the  very  same  thing.  Believe  me,'  continued  the  raven, 
4  every  word  I  say  is  true,  for  I  have  a  tame  beloved  who  hops 
at  pleasure  about  the  palace,  and  she  has  told  me  all  this.' 

Of  course  the  4  beloved  '  was  also  a  raven,  for  birds  of  a 
feather  flock  together. 

4  Proclamations,  adorned  with  borders  of  hearts,  were 
immediately  issued,  wherein,  after  enumerating  the  style  and 
titles  of  the  princess,  it  was  set  forth  that  every  well-favoured 
youth  was  free  to  go  to  the  palace  and  converse  with  the 
princess,  and  that  whoever  should  speak  in  such  wise  as 

91 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

showed  that  he  felt  himself  at  home,  there  would  be  the  one 
the  princess  would  choose  for  her  husband. 

4  Yes,  indeed,'  continued  the  raven,  '  you  may  believe  me  ; 
all  this  is  as  true  as  that  I  sit  here.  The  people  all  crowded  to 
the  palace ;  there  was  famous  pressing  and  squeezing ;  but 
it  was  all  of  no  use,  either  the  first  or  the  second  day ;  the 
young  men  could  speak  well  enough  while  they  were  outside 
the  palace  gates,  but  when  they  entered,  and  saw  the  royal 
guard  in  silver  uniform,  and  the  lackeys  on  the  staircase  in 
gold,  and  the  spacious  saloon,  all  lighted  up,  they  were  quite 
confounded.  They  stood  before  the  throne  where  the  princess 
sat,  and  when  she  spoke  to  them,  they  could  only  repeat  the 
last  word  she  had  uttered,  which,  you  know,  it  was  not  par- 
ticularly interesting  for  her  to  hear  over  again.  It  was  just 
as  though  they  had  been  struck  dumb  the  moment  they  entered 
the  palace,  for  as  soon  as  they  got  out,  they  could  talk  fast 
enough.  There  was  a  regular  procession  constantly  moving 
from  the  gates  of  the  town  to  the  gates  of  the  palace.  I  was 
there,  and  saw  it  with  my  own  eyes,'  said  the  raven.  '  They 
grew  both  hungry  and  thirsty  whilst  waiting  at  the  palace, 
but  no  one  could  get  even  so  much  as  a  glass  of  water ;  to 
be  sure,  some  of  them,  wiser  than  the  rest,  had  brought  with 
them  slices  of  bread  and  butter,  but  none  would  give  any 
to  his  neighbour,  for  he  thought  to  himself,  "  Let  him  look 
hungry,  and  then  the  princess  will  be  sure  not  to  choose 
him."  ' 

4  But  Kay,  little  Kay,  when  did  he  come  ?  '  asked  Gerda ; 
1  was  he  among  the  crowd  ?  ' 

4  Presently,  presently ;    we  have  just  come  to  him.     On 

the  third  day  arrived  a  youth  with  neither  horse  nor  carriage  ; 

gaily  he  marched  up  to  the  palace  ;    his  eyes  sparkled  like 

yours  ;   he  had  long  beautiful  hair,  but  was  very  meanly  clad.' 

92 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

4  That  was  Kay  !  '  exclaimed  Gerda.  '  Oh  then  I  have 
found  him,'  and  she  clapped  her  hands  with  delight. 

4  He  carried  a  knapsack  on  his  back,'  said  the  raven. 

4  No,  not  a  knapsack,'  said  Gerda,  4  a  sledge,  for  he  had  a 
sledge  with  him  when  he  left  home.' 

4  It  is  possible,'  rejoined  the  raven,  '  I  did  not  look  very 
closely,  but  this  I  heard  from  my  beloved,  that  when  he  entered 
the  palace  gates  and  saw  the  royal  guard  in  silver,  and  the 
lackeys  in  gold  upon  the  staircase,  he  did  not  seem  in  the 
least  confused,  but  nodded  pleasantly  and  said  to  them,  4'  It 
must  be  very  tedious  standing  out  here;  I  prefer  going  in." 
The  halls  glistened  with  light,  cabinet  councillors  and  excel- 
lencies were  walking  about  bare-footed  and  carrying  golden 
keys — it  was  just  a  place  to  make  a  man  solemn  and  silent — 
and  the  youth's  boots  creaked  horribly,  yet  he  was  not  at  all 
afraid.' 

4  That  most  certainly  was  Kay  !  '  said  Gerda  ;  4 1  know  he 
had  new  boots  ;  I  have  heard  them  creak  in  my  grandmother's 
room.' 

4  Indeed  they  did  creak,'  said  the  raven,  4  but  merrily 
went  he  up  to  the  princess,  who  was  sitting  upon  a  pearl  as 
large  as  a  spinning-wheel,  whilst  all  the  ladies  of  the  court, 
with  the  maids  of  honour  and  their  handmaidens,  ranged  in 
order,  stood  on  one  side,  and  all  the  gentlemen  in  waiting,  with 
their  gentlemen,  and  their  gentlemen's  gentlemen,  who  also 
kept  pages,  stood  ranged  in  order  on  the  other  side,  and  the 
nearer  they  were  to  the  door  the  prouder  they  looked.  The 
gentlemen's  gentlemen's  page,  who  always  wears  slippers,  one 
dare  hardly  look  at,  so  proudly  he  stands  at  the  door.' 

4  That  must  be  dreadful ! '  said  little  Gerda.  4  And  has 
Kay  really  won  the  princess  ?  ' 

4  Had  I  not  been  a  raven  I  should  have  won  her  myself, 

93 


SUDDENLV    A    LARGE    RAVEN    HOPPED    UPON    THE    SNOW    IN    FRONT    OF    HER 


"  He  did  not  come  to  woo  her,"  he  said,  "  he  had  only  come  to 
hear  the  wisdom  of  the  Princess" 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

notwithstanding  my  being  betrothed.  The  young  man  spoke 
as  well  as  I  speak  when  I  converse  in  Ravenish ;  that  I  have 
heard  from  my  tame  beloved.  He  was  handsome  and  lively 
— "  He  did  not  come  to  woo  her,"  he  said,  "  he  had  only  come 
to  hear  the  wisdom  of  the  princess,"  and  he  liked  her  much, 
and  she  liked  him  in  return.' 

4  Yes,  to  be  sure,  that  was  Kay,'  said  Gerda ;  *  he  was  so 
clever,  he  could  reckon  in  his  head,  even  fractions  !  Oh,  will 
you  not  take  me  into  the  palace  ?  ' 

4  Ah  !  that  is  easily  said,'  replied  the  raven,  4  but  how  is 
it  to  be  done  ?  I  will  talk  it  over  with  my  tame  beloved  ;  she 
will  advise  us  what  to  do,  for  I  must  tell  you  that  such  a  little 
girl  as  you  are  will  never  gain  permission  to  enter  publicly.' 

4  Yes,  I  shall !  '  cried  Gerda.  4  When  Kay  knows  that  I 
am  here,  he  will  immediately  come  out  and  fetch  me.' 

4  Wait  for  me  at  the  trellis  yonder,'  said  the  raven.  He 
wagged  his  head  and  away  he  flew. 

The  raven  did  not  return  till  late  in  the  evening.  4  Caw, 
caw,'  said  he.  4  My  tame  beloved  greets  you  kindly,  and  sends 
you  a  piece  of  bread  which  she  took  from  the  kitchen ;  there 
is  plenty  of  bread  there,  and  you  must  certainly  be  hungry. 
It  is  not  possible  for  you  to  enter  the  palace,  for  you  have  bare 
feet ;  the  royal  guard  in  silver  uniform,  and  the  lackeys  in  gold, 
would  never  permit  it ;  but  do  not  weep,  thou  shalt  go  there. 
My  beloved  knows  a  little  back  staircase  leading  to  the  sleeping 
apartments,  and  she  knows  also  where  to  find  the  key.' 

And  they  went  into  the  garden,  down  the  grand  avenue, 
where  the  leaves  dropped  upon  them  as  they  passed  along, 
and,  when  the  lights  in  the  palace  one  by  one  had  all  been 
extinguished,  the  raven  took  Gerda  to  a  back-door  which  stood 
half  open.  Oh,  how  Gerda's  heart  beat  with  fear  and  expecta- 
tion !  It  was  just  as  though  she  was  about  to  do  something 

95 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

wrong,  although  she  only  wanted  to  know  whether  Kay  was 
really  there — yes,  it  must  be  he,  she  remembered  so  well  his 
bright  eyes  and  long  hair.  She  would  see  if  his  smile  were  the 
same  as  it  used  to  be  when  they  sat  together  under  the  rose- 
trees.  He  would  be  so  glad  to  see  her,  to  hear  how  far  she 
had  come  for  his  sake,  how  all  his  home  mourned  his  absence. 
Her  heart  trembled  with  fear  and  joy. 

They  went  up  the  staircase.  A  small  lamp  placed  on  a 
cabinet  gave  a  glimmering  light ;  on  the  floor  stood  the  tame 
raven,  who  first  turned  her  head  on  all  sides,  and  then  looked 
at  Gerda,  who  made  her  curtsy,  as  her  grandmother  had 
taught  her. 

4  My  betrothed  has  told  me  much  about  you,  my  good  young 
maiden,'  said  the  tame  raven ;  '  your  adventures,  too,  are 
extremely  interesting  !  If  you  will  take  the  lamp,  I  will  show 
you  the  way.  We  are  going  straight  on,  we  shall  not  meet 
any  one  now.' 

4  It  seems  to  me  as  if  some  one  were  behind  us,'  said  Gerda  ; 
and  in  fact  there  was  a  rushing  sound  as  of  something  passing  ; 
strange-looking  shadows  flitted  rapidly  along  the  wall,  horses 
with  long,  slender  legs  and  fluttering  manes,  huntsmen,  knights, 
and  ladies. 

4  These  are  only  dreams  ! '  said  the  raven  ;  4  they  come  to 
amuse  the  great  personages  here  at  night;  you  will  have  a 
better  opportunity  of  looking  at  them  when  you  are  in  bed. 
I  hope  that  when  you  arrive  at  honours  and  dignities  you  will 
show  a  grateful  heart.' 

4  Do  not  talk  of  that !  '  said  the  wood-raven. 

They  now  entered  the  first  saloon ;   its  walls  were  covered 

with  rose-coloured  satin,  embroidered  with  gold  flowers.     The 

Dreams  rustled  past  them,  but  with  such  rapidity  that  Gerda 

could  not  see  them.     The  apartments  through  which  they 

96 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

passed  vied  with  each  other  in  splendour,  and  at  last  they 

reached  the  sleeping-hall.     In  the  centre  of  this  room  stood  a 

pillar  of  gold  resembling  the  stem  of  a  large  palm-tree,  whose 

leaves  of  glass,  costly  glass,  formed  the  ceiling,  and  depending 

from   the   tree,  hung  near  the  door,  on 

thick  golden  stalks,  two  beds  in  the  form 

of    lilies — the    one    was    white,    wherein 

reposed  the  princess,  the  other  was  red, 

and  here  must  Gerda  seek  her  playfellow, 

Kay.    She  bent  aside  one  of  the  red  leaves 

and  saw  a  brown  neck.     Oh,  it  must  be 

Kay !     She  called  him  by  his  name  aloud, 

held  the  lamp  close  to  him,  the  Dreams 

again  rushed  by — he  awoke,  turned  his 

head,  and  behold !  it  was  not  Kay. 

The  prince  resembled  him  only  about 
the  throat;  he  was,  however,  young  and 
handsome ;  and  the  princess  looked  out 
from  the  white  lily  petals,  and  asked 
what  was  the  matter.  Then  little  Gerda 
wept  and  told  her  whole  story,  and  what 
the  ravens  had  done  for  her.  c  Poor 
child ! '  said  the  prince  and  princess ;  and 
they  praised  the  ravens,  and  said  they 
were  not  at  all  angry  with  them.  Such 
liberties  must  never  be  taken  again  in  their  palace,  but  this 
time  they  should  be  rewarded. 

'  Would  you  like  to  fly  away  free  to  the  woods  ? '  asked  the 
princess,  addressing  the  ravens,  '  or  to  have  the  appointment 
secured  to  you  as  Court-Ravens  with  the  perquisites  belonging 
to  the  kitchen,  such  as  crumbs  and  leavings  ?  ' 

And  both  the  ravens  bowed  low  and  chose  the  appointment 
G  97 


CABINET   COUNCILLORS    WERE 
WALKING  ABOUT  BAREFOOTED 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

at  Court,  for  they  thought  of  old  age,  and  said  it  would  be  so 
comfortable  to  be  well  provided  for  in  their  declining  years. 
Then  the  prince  arose  and  made  Gerda  sleep  in  his  bed ;  and 
she  folded  her  little  hands,  thinking,  '  How  kind  both  men  and 
animals  are  to  me  ! '  She  closed  her  eyes  and  slept  soundly 
and  sweetly,  and  all  the  Dreams  flitted  about  her ;  they  looked 
like  angels  from  heaven,  and  seemed  to  be  drawing  a  sledge 
whereon  Kay  sat  and  nodded  to  her.  But  this  was  only  fancy, 
for  as  soon  as  she  awoke  all  the  beautiful  visions  had  vanished. 

The  next  day  she  was  dressed  from  head  to  foot  in  silk  and 
velvet.  She  was  invited  to  stay  at  the  palace  and  enjoy  all 
sorts  of  diversions,  but  she  begged  only  for  a  little  carriage  and 
a  horse,  and  a  pair  of  little  boots, — all  she  desired  was  to  go 
again  into  the  wide  world  to  seek  Kay. 

And  they  gave  her  the  boots  and  a  muff  besides ;  she  was 
dressed  so  prettily.  And  as  soon  as  she  was  ready  there  drove 
up  to  the  door  a  new  carriage  of  pure  gold  with  the  arms  of 
the  prince  and  princess  glittering  upon  it  like  a  star,  the  coach- 
man, the  footman,  and  outriders,  all  wearing  gold  crowns. 
The  prince  and  princess  themselves  helped  her  into  the  carriage 
and  wished  her  success.  The  wood-raven,  who  was  now 
married,  accompanied  her  the  first  three  miles ;  he  sat  by  her 
side,  for  riding  backwards  was  a  thing  he  could  not  bear.  The 
other  raven  stood  at  the  door  flapping  her  wings ;  she  did  not 
go  with  them  on  account  of  a  headache  she  had  felt  ever  since 
she  had  received  her  appointment,  in  consequence  of  eating 
too  much.  The  carriage  was  well  provided  with  sugar-plums, 
fruit,  and  gingerbread  nuts. 

4  Farewell !  farewell ! '  cried  the  prince  and  princess.    Little 
Gerda  wept,  and  the  raven  wept  out  of  sympathy.    But  his  fare- 
well was  a  far  sorer  trial ;  he  flew  up  to  the  branch  of  a  tree  and 
flapped  his  black  wings  at  the  carriage  till  it  was  out  of  sight. 
98 


PART  THE  FIFTH 

THE   LITTLE   ROBBER   MAIDEN 

THEY  drove  through  the  dark,  dark  forest ;  the  carriage 
shone  like  a  torch.  Unfortunately  its  brightness  attracted 
the  eyes  of  the  robbers  who  dwelt  in  the  forest-shades ;  they 
could  not  bear  it. 

4  That  is  gold  !  gold  !  '  cried  they.  Forward  they  rushed, 
seized  the  horses,  stabbed  the  outriders,  coachman,  and  foot- 
men to  death,  and  dragged  little  Gerda  out  of  the  carriage. 

4  She  is  plump,  she  is  pretty,  she  has  been  fed  on  nut- 
kernels,'  said  the  old  robber- wife,  who  had  a  long,  bristly 
beard,  and  eyebrows  hanging  like  bushes  over  her  eyes.  '  She 
is  like  a  little  fat  lamb,  and  how  smartly  she  is  dressed  !  '  and 
she  drew  out  her  bright  dagger,  glittering  most  terribly. 

99 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

'  Oh,  oh  ! '  cried  the  woman,  for  at  the  very  moment  she 
had  lifted  her  dagger  to  stab  Gerda,  her  own  wild  and  wilful 
daughter  jumped  upon  her  back  and  bit  her  ear  violently. 
4  You  naughty  child  !  '  said  the  mother. 

4  She  shall  play  with  me,'  said  the  little  robber-maiden, 
4  she  shall  give  me  her  muff  and  her  pretty  frock,  and  sleep 
with  me  in  my  bed  ! '  And  then  she  bit  her  mother  again,  till 
the  robber-wife  sprang  up  and  shrieked  with  pain,  whilst  the 
robbers  all  laughed,  saying,  '  Look  at  her  playing  with  her 
young  one  ! ' 

'  I  will  get  into  the  carriage,'  and  so  spoiled  and  wayward 
was  the  little  robber-maiden  that  she  always  had  her  own  way, 
and  she  and  Gerda  sat  together  in  the  carriage,  and  drove  over 
stock  and  stone  farther  and  farther  into  the  wood.  The  little 
robber-maiden  was  about  as  tall  as  Gerda,  but  much  stronger  ; 
she  had  broad  shoulders,  and  a  very  dark  skin  ;  her  eyes  were 
quite  black,  and  had  an  expression  almost  melancholy.  She 
put  her  arm  round  Gerda's  waist,  and  said,  '  She  shall  not  kill 
thee  so  long  as  I  love  thee  !  Art  thou  not  a  princess  ?  ' 

4  No  ! '  said  Gerda ;  and  then  she  told  her  all  that  had 
happened  to  her,  and  how  much  she  loved  little  Kay. 

The  robber-maiden  looked  earnestly  in  her  face,  shook  her 
head,  and  said,  4  She  shall  not  kill  thee  even  if  I  do  quarrel  with 
thee ;  then,  indeed,  I  would  rather  do  it  myself  ! '  And  she 
dried  Gerda's  tears,  and  put  both  her  hands  into  the  pretty 
muff  that  was  so  soft  and  warm. 

The  carriage  at  last  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  court- 
yard of  the  robbers'  castle.  This  castle  was  half-ruined ; 
crows  and  ravens  flew  out  of  the  openings,  and  some  fearfully 
large  bull-dogs,  looking  as  if  they  could  devour  a  man  in  a 
moment,  jumped  round  the  carriage ;  they  did  not  bark,  for 
that  was  forbidden. 
100 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

The  maidens  entered  a  large,  smoky  hall,  where  a  tre- 
mendous fire  was  blazing  on  the  stone  floor ;  the  smoke  rose 
up  to  the  ceiling,  seeking  a  way  of  escape,  for  there  was  no 
chimney ;  a  large  caldron  full  of  soup  was  boiling  over  the 
fire,  whilst  hares  and  rabbits  were  roasting  on  the  spit. 

6  Thou  shalt  sleep  with  me  and  my  little  pets  to-night ! ' 
said  the  robber-maiden.  Then  they  had  some  food,  and  after- 
wards went  to  the  corner  wherein  lay  straw  and  a  piece  of 
carpet.  Nearly  a  hundred  pigeons  were  perched  on  staves 
and  laths  around  them ;  they  seemed  to  be  asleep,  but  were 
startled  when  the  little  maidens  approached. 

'  These  all  belong  to  me,'  said  Gerda's  companion,  and 
seizing  hold  of  one  of  the  nearest,  she  held  the  poor  bird  by 
the  feet  and  swung  it.  '  Kiss  it,'  said  she,  flapping  it  into 
Gerda's  face.  '  The  rabble  from  the  wood  sit  up  there,'  con- 
tinued she,  pointing  to  a  number  of  laths  fastened  across  a 
hole  in  the  wall ;  '  those  are  wood-pigeons,  they  would  fly 
away  if  I  did  not  keep  them  shut  up.  And  here  is  my  old 
favourite  ! '  She  pulled  forward  by  the  horn  a  reindeer  who 
wore  a  bright  copper  ring  round  his  neck,  by  which  he  was 
fastened  to  a  large  stone.  4  We  are  obliged  to  chain  him  up, 
or  he  would  run  away  from  us  ;  every  evening  I  tickle  his  neck 
with  my  sharp  dagger ;  it  makes  him  fear  me  so  much  I '  and 
the  robber-maiden  drew  out  a  long  dagger  from  a  gap  in  the 
wall,  and  passed  it  over  the  reindeer's  throat ;  the  poor  animal 
struggled  and  kicked,  but  the  girl  laughed,  and  then  she  pulled 
Gerda  into  bed  with  her. 

'  Will  you  keep  the  dagger  hi  your  hand  whilst  you  sleep  ?  ' 
asked  Gerda,  looking  timidly  at  the  dangerous  plaything. 

4 1  always  sleep  with  my  dagger  by  my  side,'  replied  the 
little  robber-maiden ;  '  one  never  knows  what  may  happen. 
But  now  tell  me  all  over  again  what  you  told  me  before  about 

101 


AND    THE    NEARER   THEY    WERE    TO    THE    DOOR    THE    PROUDER    THEY    LOOKED 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

Kay,  and  the  reason  of  your  coming  into  the  wide  world  all  by 
yourself.' 

And  Gerda  again  related  her  history,  and  the  wood-pigeons 
imprisoned  above  listened,  but  the  others  were  fast  asleep. 
The  little  robber-maiden  threw  one  arm  round  Gerda' s  neck, 
and  holding  the  dagger  with  the  other,  was  also  soon  asleep  ; 
one  could  hear  her  heavy  breathing,  but  Gerda  could  not  close 
her  eyes  throughout  the  night — she  knew  not  what  would 
become  of  her,  whether  she  would  even  be  suffered  to  live. 
The  robbers  sat  round  the  fire  drinking  and  singing.  Oh,  it 
was  a  dreadful  night  for  the  poor  little  girl ! 

Then  spoke  the  wood-pigeons,  '  Coo,  coo,  coo !  we  have  seen 
little  Kay.  A  white  fowl  carried  his  sledge,  he  himself  was  in 
the  Snow  Queen's  chariot,  which  passed  through  the  wood 
whilst  we  sat  in  our  nest.  She  breathed  upon  us  young  ones 
as  she  passed,  and  all  died  of  her  breath  excepting  us  two, — 
coo,  coo,  coo  !  ' 

'  What  are  you  saying  ?  '  cried  Gerda ;  '  where  was  the 
Snow  Queen  going  ?  Do  you  know  anything  about  it  ?  ' 

4  She  travels  most  likely  to  Lapland,  where  ice  and  snow 
abide  all  the  year  round.  Ask  the  reindeer  bound  to  the  rope 
there.' 

6  Yes,  ice  and  snow  are  there  all  through  the  year ;  it  is  a 
glorious  land  !  '  said  the  reindeer.  '  There,  free  and  happy, 
one  can  roam  through  the  wide  sparkling  valleys  !  There  the 
Snow  Queen  has  her  summer-tent ;  her  strong  castle  is  very 
far  off,  near  the  North  Pole,  on  the  island  called  Spitsbergen.' 

'  O  Kay,  dear  Kay  ! '  sighed  Gerda. 

4  You  must  lie  still,'  said  the  robber- maiden,  '  or  I  will 
thrust  my  dagger  into  your  side.' 

When  morning  came  Gerda  repeated  to  her  what  the  wood- 
pigeons  had  said,  and  the  little  robber-maiden  looked  grave  for 

103 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

a  moment,  then  nodded  her  head,  saying,  '  No  matter  !  no 
matter  !  Do  you  know  where  Lapland  is  ?  '  asked  she  of  the 
reindeer. 

'  Who  should  know  but  I  ?  '  returned  the  animal,  his  eyes 
kindling.  '  There  was  I  born  and  bred,  there  how  often  have 
I  bounded  over  the  wild  icy  plains  !  ' 

1  Listen  to  me  ! '  said  the  robber-maiden  to  Gerda.  '  You 
see  all  our  men  are  gone ;  my  mother  is  still  here  and  will  remain, 
but  towards  noon  she  will  drink  a  little  out  of  the  great  flask, 
and  after  that  she  will  sleep — then  I  will  do  something  for  you  !  ' 
And  so  saying  she  jumped  out  of  bed,  sprang  upon  her  mother, 
pulled  her  by  the  beard,  and  said,  '  My  own  dear  mam,  good 
morning !  '  and  the  mother  caressed  her  so  roughly  that  she 
was  red  and  blue  all  over ;  however,  it  was  from  pure  love. 

When  her  mother  was  fast  asleep,  the  robber-maiden  went 
up  to  the  reindeer,  and  said,  '  I  should  have  great  pleasure 
in  stroking  you  a  few  more  times  with  my  sharp  dagger,  for  then 
you  look  so  droll,  but  never  mind,  I  will  unloose  your  chain 
and  help  you  to  escape,  on  condition  that  you  run  as  fast  as 
you  can  to  Lapland,  and  take  this  little  girl  to  the  castle  of  the 
Snow  Queen,  where  her  playfellow  is.  You  must  have  heard 
her  story,  for  she  speaks  loud  enough,  and  you  know  well  how 
to  listen.' 

The  reindeer  bounded  with  joy,  and  the  robber-maiden 
lifted  Gerda  on  his  back,  taking  the  precaution  to  bind  her  on 
firmly,  as  well  as  to  give  her  a  little  cushion  to  sit  on.  '  And 
here,'  said  she,  *  are  your  fur  boots,  you  will  need  them  in  that 
cold  country ;  the  muff  I  must  keep  myself,  it  is  too  pretty  to 
part  with  ;  but  you  shall  not  be  frozen.  Here  are  my  mother's 
huge  gloves,  they  reach  up  to  the  elbow ;  put  them  on — now 
your  hands  look  as  clumsy  as  my  old  mother's  ! ' 

And  Gerda  shed  tears  of  joy. 
104 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

'  I  cannot  bear  to  see  you  crying  ! '  said  the  little  robber- 
maiden,  '  you  ought  to  look  glad  ;  see,  here  are  two  loaves  and 
a  piece  of  bacon  for  you,  that  you  may  not  be  hungry  on  the 
way.'  She  fastened  this  provender  also  on  the  reindeer's 
back,  opened  the  door,  called  away  the  great  dogs,  and  then 
cutting  asunder  with  her  dagger  the  rope  which  bound  the 
reindeer,  shouted  to  him,  '  Now  then,  run !  but  take  good 
care  of  the  little  girl.' 

And  Gerda  stretched  out  her  hands  to  the  robber-maiden 
and  bade  her  farewell,  and  the  reindeer  fleeted  through  the 
forest,  over  stock  and  stone,  over  desert  and  heath,  over 
meadow  and  moor.  The  wolves  howled  and  the  ravens 
shrieked.  '  Isch  !  Isch  ! '  a  red  light  flashed — one  might  have 
fancied  the  sky  was  sneezing. 

*  Those  are  my  dear  old  Northern  Lights  !  '  said  the  rein- 
deer ;  '  look  at  them,  how  beautiful  they  are  !  '  And  he  ran 
faster  than  ever,  night  and  day  he  ran — the  loaves  were  eaten, 
so  was  the  bacon — at  last  they  were  in  Lapland. 


105 


AND    FLAPPED    HIS    BLACK    WINGS    AT    THE    CARRIAGE 
TILL    IT    WAS    OUT    OF    SIGHT 


PART  THE  SIXTH 

THE   LAPLAND   WOMAN   AND    THE   FINLAND   WOMAN 

» 

THEY  stopped  at  a  little  hut,  a  wretched  hut  it  was ;  the 
roof  very  nearly  touched  the  ground,  and  the  door  was  so 
low  that  whoever  wished  to  go  either  in  or  out  was  obliged 
to  crawl  upon  hands  and  knees.  No  one  was  at  home  except 
the  old  Lapland  woman,  who  was  busy  boiling  fish  over 
a  lamp  filled  with  train  oil.  The  reindeer  related  to  her 
Gerda's  whole  history,  not,  however,  till  after  he  had  made 
her  acquainted  with  his  own,  which  appeared  to  him  of  much 
more  importance.  Poor  Gerda,  meanwhile,  was  so  overpowered 
by  the  cold  that  she  could  not  speak. 

'  Ah,  poor  things  ! '  said  the  Lapland  woman,  '  you  have 
still  a  long  way  before  you  !  You  have  a  hundred  miles  to  run 
before  you  can  arrive  in  Finland  :  the  Snow  Queen  dwells 
there,  and  burns  blue  lights  every  evening.  I  will  write  for 
you  a  few  words  on  a  piece  of  dried  stock-fish — paper  I  have 
none — and  you  may  take  it  with  you  to  the  wise  Finland 
woman  who  lives  there ;  she  will  advise  you  better  than 
I  can.' 

So  when  Gerda  had  well  warmed  herself  and  taken  some 
food,  the  Lapland  woman  wrote  a  few  words  on  a  dried  stock- 
fish, bade  Gerda  take  care  of  it,  and  bound  her  once  more 
firmly  on  the  reindeer's  back. 

Onwards  they  sped,  the  wondrous  Northern  Lights,  now 
of  the  loveliest,  brightest  blue  colour,  shone  all  through  the 

107 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

night,  and  amidst  these  splendid  illuminations  they  arrived  in 
Finland,  and  knocked  at  the  chimney  of  the  wise-woman,  for 
door  to  her  house  she  had  none. 

Hot,  very  hot  was  it  within — so  much  so  that  the  wise- 
woman  wore  scarcely  any  clothing ;  she  was  low  in  stature 
and  very  dirty.  She  immediately  loosened  little  Gerda's 
dress,  took  off  her  fur  boots  and  thick  gloves,  laid  a  piece  of 
ice  on  the  reindeer's  head,  and  then  read  what  was  written  on 
the  stock-fish.  She  read  it  three  times.  After  the  third  read- 
ing she  knew  it  by  heart,  and  threw  the  fish  into  the  porridge- 
pot,  for  it  might  make  a  very  excellent  supper,  and  she  never 
wasted  anything. 

The  reindeer  then  repeated  his  own  story,  and  when  that 
was  finished  he  told  of  little  Gerda's  adventures,  and  the  wise- 
woman  twinkled  her  wise  eyes,  but  spoke  not  a  word. 

4  Thou  art  so  powerful,'  continued  the  reindeer,  '  that  I 
know  thou  canst  twist  all  the  winds  of  the  world  into  a  thread, 
of  which  if  the  pilot  loosen  one  knot  he  will  have  a  favourable 
wind  ;  if  he  loosen  the  second  it  will  blow  sharp,  and  if  he  losen 
the  third,  so  tremendous  a  storm  will  arise  that  the  trees  of  the 
forest  will  be  uprooted,  and  the  ship  wrecked.  Wilt  thou 
not  mix  for  this  little  maiden  that  wonderful  draught  which 
will  give  her  the  strength  of  twelve  men,  and  thus  enable  her 
to  overcome  the  Snow  Queen  ?  ' 

*  The  strength  of  twelve  men  ! '  repeated  the  wise-woman, 
4  that  would  be  of  much  use  to  be  sure  ! '  and  she  walked  away, 
drew  forth  a  large  parchment  roll  from  a  shelf  and  began  to 
read.  What  strange  characters  were  seen  inscribed  on  the 
scroll  as  the  wise-woman  slowly  unrolled  it!  She  read  so 
intently  that  the  perspiration  ran  down  her  forehead. 

But  the  reindeer  pleaded  so  earnestly  for  little  Gerda,  and 
Gerda's  eyes  were  raised  so  entreatingly  and  tearfully,  that  at 
last  the  wise-woman's  eyes  began  to  twinkle  again  out  of 
108 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 


sympathy,  and  she  drew  the 
reindeer  into  a  corner,  and 
putting  a  fresh  piece  of  ice 
upon  his  head,  whispered 
thus  : 

'  Little  Kay  is  still  with 
the  Snow  Queen,  in  whose 
abode  everything  is  according 
to  his  taste,  and  therefore  he 
believes  it  to  be  the  best  place 
in  the  world.  But  that  is 
because  he  has  a  glass  splinter 
in  his  heart,  and  a  glass  splin- 
ter in  his  eye — until  he  has 
got  rid  of  them  he  will  never 
feel  like  a  human  being,  and 
the  Snow  Queen  will  always 
maintain  her  influence  over 
him.' 

4  But  canst  thou  not  give 
something  to  little  Gerda 
whereby  she  may  overcome 
all  these  evil  influences  ?  ' 

'  I  can  give  her  no  power 
so  great  as  that  which  she 
already  possesses.  Seest  thou 
not  how  strong  she  is  ?  Seest 
thou  not  that  both  men  and 
animals  must  serve  her — a 
poor  little  girl  wandering  bare- 
foot through  the  world?  Her 
power  is  greater  than  ours ;  it 
proceeds  from  her  heart,  from 


THE    LITTLE    ROBBER-MAIDEN 


109 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

her  being  a  loving  and  innocent  child.  If  this  power  which 
she  already  possesses  cannot  give  her  access  to  the  Snow 
Queen's  palace,  and  enable  her  to  free  Kay's  eye  and  heart 
from  the  glass  fragment,  we  can  do  nothing  for  her  !  Two 
miles  hence  is  the  Snow  Queen's  garden ;  thither  thou  canst 
carry  the  little  maiden.  Put  her  down  close  by  the  bush 
bearing  red  berries  and  half  covered  with  snow  :  lose  no  time, 
and  hasten  back  to  this  place ! ' 

And  the  wise-woman  lifted  Gerda  on  the  reindeer's  back, 
and  away  they  went. 

1  Oh,  I  have  left  my  boots  behind  !  I  have  left  my  gloves 
behind,'  cried  little  Gerda,  when  it  was  too  late.  The  cold  was 
piercing,  but  the  reindeer  dared  not  stop  ;  on  he  ran  until  he 
reached  the  bush  with  the  red  berries.  Here  he  set  Gerda 
down,  kissed  her,  the  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks  the  while, 
and  ran  fast  back  again — which  was  the  best  thing  he  could  do. 
And  there  stood  poor  Gerda,  without  shoes,  without  gloves, 
alone  in  that  barren  region,  that  terribly  icy-cold  Finland. 

She  ran  on  as  fast  as  she  could ;  a  whole  regiment  of  snow- 
flakes  came  to  meet  her.  They  did  not  fall  from  the  sky,  which 
was  cloudless  and  bright  with  the  Northern  Lights ;  they  ran 
straight  along  the  ground,  and  the  farther  Gerda  advanced  the 
larger  they  grew.  Gerda  then  remembered  how  large  and 
curious  the  snow-flakes  had  appeared  to  her  when  one  day 
she  had  looked  at  them  through  a  burning-glass  ;  these,  how- 
ever, were  very  much  larger,  they  were  living  forms,  they 
were  in  fact  the  Snow  Queen's  guards.  Their  shapes  were  the 
strangest  that  could  be  imagined  ;  some  looked  like  great  ugly 
porcupines,  others  like  snakes  rolled  into  knots  with  their  heads 
peering  forth,  and  others  like  little  fat  bears  with  bristling 
hair — all,  however,  were  alike  dazzlingly  white — all  were  living 
snow-flakes.  Little  Gerda  began  to  repeat  '  Our  Father '  : 
110 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

meanwhile,  the  cold  was  so  intense  that  she  could  see  her  own 
breath,  which,  as  it  escaped  her  mouth,  ascended  into  the  air 
like  vapour ;  the  cold  grew  intense,  the  vapour  more  dense, 
and  at  length  took  the  forms  of  little  bright  angels  which,  as 
they  touched  the  earth,  became  larger  and  more  distinct. 
They  wore  helmets  on  their  heads,  and  carried  shields  and 
spears  in  their  hands  ;  their  number  increased  so  rapidly  that, 
by  the  time  Gerda  had  finished  her  prayer,  a  whole  legion  stood 
around  her.  They  thrust  with  their  spears  against  the  horrible 
snow-flakes,  which  fell  into  thousands  of  pieces,  and  little 
Gerda  walked  on  unhurt  and  undaunted.  The  angels  touched 
her  hands  and  feet,  and  then  she  scarcely  felt  the  cold,  and 
boldly  approached  the  Snow  Queen's  palace. 

But  before  we  accompany  her  there,  let  us  see  what  Kay  is 
doing.  He  is  certainly  not  thinking  of  little  Gerda ;  least  of  all 
can  he  imagine  that  she  is  now  standing  at  the  palace  gate. 


Ill 


PART  THE  SEVENTH 

WHICH  TREATS   OF  THE   SNOW  QUEEN'S   PALACE,   AND   OF  WHAT 
CAME   TO   PASS    THEREIN 

THE  walls  of  the  palace  were  formed  of  the  driven  snow, 
its  doors  and  windows  of  the  cutting  winds.  There  were 
above  a  hundred  halls,  the  largest  of  them  many  miles 
in  extent,  all  illuminated  by  the  Northern  Lights,  all  alike 
vast,  empty,  icily  cold,  and  dazzlingly  white.  No  sounds 
of  mirth  ever  resounded  through  these  dreary  spaces;  no 
cheerful  scene  refreshed  the  sight— not  even  so  much  as  a 
bear's  ball,  such  as  one  might  imagine  sometimes  takes  place, 
the  tempest  forming  a  band  of  musicians,  and  the  polar  bears 
standing  on  their  hind  paws  and  exhibiting  themselves  in  the 
112 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

oddest  positions.  Nor  was  there  ever  a  card-assembly,  wherein 
the  cards  might  be  held  in  the  mouth  and  dealt  out  by  paws ; 
nor  even  a  small  select  coffee-party  for  the  white  young  lady 
foxes.  Vast,  empty,  and  cold  were  the  Snow  Queen's  chambers, 
and  the  Northern  Lights  flashed,  now  high,  now  low,  in  regular 
gradations.  In  the  midst  of  the  empty,  interminable  snow 
saloon  lay  a  frozen  lake  ;  it  was  broken  into  a  thousand  pieces, 
but  these  pieces  so  exactly  resembled  each  other,  that  the 
breaking  of  them  might  well  be  deemed  a  work  of  more  than 
human  skill.  The  Snow  Queen,  when  at  home,  always  sat  in 
the  centre  of  this  lake  ;  she  used  to  say  that  she  was  then  sitting 
on  the  Mirror  of  Reason,  and  that  hers  was  the  best,  indeed 
the  only  one,  in  the  world. 

Little  Kay  was  quite  blue,  nay,  almost  black  with  cold,  but 
he  did  not  observe  it,  for  the  Snow  Queen  had  kissed  away  the 
shrinking  feeling  he  used  to  experience,  and  his  heart  was  like 
a  lump  of  ice.  He  was  busied  among  the  sharp  icy  fragments, 
laying  and  joining  them  together  in  every  possible  way,  just  as 
people  do  with  what  are  called  Chinese  puzzles.  Kay  could 
form  the  most  curious  and  complete  figures — this  was  the  ice- 
puzzle  of  reason — and  in  his  eyes  these  figures  were  of  the 
utmost  importance.  He  often  formed  whole  words,  but  there 
was  one  word  he  could  never  succeed  in  forming — it  was 
Eternity.  The  Snow  Queen  had  said  to  him,  c  When  thou 
canst  put  that  figure  together,  thou  shalt  become  thine  own 
master  and  I  will  give  thee  the  whole  world,  and  a  new  pair  of 
skates  besides.' 

But  he  could  never  do  it. 

'  Now  I  am  going  to  the  warm  countries,'  said  the  Snow 
Queen.  '  I  shall  flit  through  the  air,  and  look  into  the  black 
caldrons ' — she  meant  the  burning  mountains,  Etna  and 
Vesuvius.  '  I  shall  whiten  them  a  little ;  that  will  be  good 

H  na 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

for  the  citrons  and  vineyards.'  So  away  flew  the  Snow  Queen, 
leaving  Kay  sitting  all  alone  in  the  large  empty  hall  of  ice.  He 
looked  at  the  fragments,  and  thought  and  thought  till  his  head 
ached.  He  sat  so  still  and  so  stiff  that  one  might  have  fancied 
that  he  too  was  frozen. 

Cold  and  cutting  blew  the  winds  when  little  Gerda  passed 
through  the  palace  gates,  but  she  repeated  her  evening  prayer, 
and  they  immediately  sank  to  rest.  She  entered  the  large, 
cold,  empty  hall :  she  saw  Kay,  she  recognised  him,  she  flew 
upon  his  neck,  she  held  him  fast,  and  cried,  '  Kay  !  dear,  dear 
Kay  !  I  have  found  thee  at  last !  ' 

But  he  sat  still  as  before,  cold,  silent,  motionless  ;  his  un- 
kindness  wounded  poor  Gerda  deeply.  Hot  and  bitter  were 
the  tears  she  shed ;  they  fell  upon  his  breast,  they  reached  his 
heart,  they  thawed  the  ice  and  dissolved  the  tiny  splinter  of 
glass  within  it.  He  looked  at  her  whilst  she  sang  her  hymn — 

'  Our  roses  bloom  and  fade  away, 
Our  Infant  Lord  abides  alway  ; 
May  we  be  blessed  His  face  to  see, 
And  ever  little  children  be  ! ' 

Then  Kay  burst  into  tears.  He  wept  till  the  glass  splinter 
floated  in  his  eye  and  fell  with  his  tears  ;  he  knew  his  old  com- 
panion immediately,  and  exclaimed  with  joy,  '  Gerda,  my  dear 
little  Gerda,  where  hast  thou  been  all  this  time  ? — and  where 
have  I  been  ?  ' 

He  looked  around  him.  '  How  cold  it  is  here  !  how  wide 
and  empty  !  '  and  he  embraced  Gerda,  whilst  she  laughed  and 
wept  by  turns.  Even  the  pieces  of  ice  took  part  in  their  joy ; 
they  danced  about  merrily,  and  when  they  were  wearied  and 
lay  down  they  formed  of  their  own  accord  the  mystical  letters 
of  which  the  Snow  Queen  had  said  that  when  Kay  could  put 
114 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

them  together  he  should  be  his  own  master,  and  that  she  would 
give  him  the  whole  world,  with  a  new  pair  of  skates  besides. 

And  Gerda  kissed  his  cheeks,  whereupon  they  became  fresh 
and  glowing  as  ever ;  she  kissed  his  eyes,  and  they  sparkled 
like  her  own ;  she  kissed  his  hands  and  feet,  and  he  was  once 
more  healthy  and  merry.  The  Snow  Queen  might  now  come 


SHE    HAN    ON    AS    FAST    AS    SHE    COULD 


home  as  soon  as  she  liked — it  mattered  not ;  Kay's  charter  of 
freedom  stood  written  on  the  mirror  in  bright  icy  characters. 
They  took  each  other  by  the  hand,  and  wandered  forth  out 
of  the  palace,  talking  meanwhile  about  the  aged  grandmother 
and  the  rose-trees  on  the  roof  of  their  houses ;  and  as  they 
walked  on,  the  winds  were  hushed  into  a  calm,  and  the  sun  burst 
forth  in  splendour  from  among  the  dark  storm-clouds.  When 

115 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

they  arrived  at  the  bush  with  the  red  berries,  they  found  the 
reindeer  standing  by  awaiting  their  arrival ;  he  had  brought 
with  him  another  and  younger  reindeer,  whose  udders  were  full, 
and  who  gladly  gave  her  warm  milk  to  refresh  the  young 
travellers. 

The  old  reindeer  and  the  young  hind  now  carried  Kay  and 
Gerda  on  their  backs,  first  to  the  little  hot  room  of  the  wise- 
woman  of  Finland,  where  they  warmed  themselves,  and 
received  advice  how  to  proceed  in  their  journey  home, 
and  afterwards  to  the  abode  of  the  Lapland  woman,  who 
made  them  some  new  clothes  and  provided  them  with  a 
sledge. 

The  whole  party  now  ran  on  together  till  they  came  to  the 
boundary  of  the  country  ;  but  just  where  the  green  leaves 
began  to  sprout,  the  Lapland  woman  and  the  two  reindeers 
took  their  leave.  '  Farewell !  farewell !  '  said  they  all.  And 
the  first  little  birds  they  had  seen  for  many  a  long  day  began 
to  chirp,  and  warble  their  pretty  songs ;  and  the  trees  of  the 
forest  burst  upon  them  full  of  rich  and  variously  tinted 
foliage.  Suddenly  the  green  boughs  parted  asunder,  and  a 
spirited  horse  galloped  up.  Gerda  knew  it  well,  for  it  was  the 
one  which  had  been  harnessed  to  her  gold  coach  ;  and  on  it  sat 
a  young  girl  wearing  a  bright  scarlet  cap,  and  with  pistols  on 
the  holster  before  her.  It  was  indeed  no  other  than  the  robber- 
maiden,  who,  weary  of  her  home  in  the  forest,  was  going  on 
her  travels,  first  to  the  north  and  afterwards  to  other  parts  of 
the  world.  She  at  once  recognised  Gerda,  and  Gerda  had  not 
forgotten  her.  Most  joyful  was  their  greeting. 

'  A  fine  gentleman  you  are,  to  be  sure,  you  graceless  young 
truant !  '  said  she  to  Kay.     '  I  should  like  to  know  if  you 
deserved  that  any  one  should  be  running  to  the  end  of  the  world 
on  your  account !  ' 
116 


SHE    ENTERED    THE    LARGE,    COLD,    EMPTY    HALL 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

But  Gerda  stroked  her  cheeks,  and  asked  after  the  prince 
and  princess. 

4  They  are  gone  travelling  into  foreign  countries,'  replied 
the  robber-maiden. 

*  And  the  raven  ?  '  asked  Gerda. 

*  Ah  !  the  raven  is  dead,'  returned  she.     '  The  tame  beloved 
has  become  a  widow  ;  so  she  hops  about  with  a  piece  of  worsted 
wound  round  her  leg  ;   she  moans  most  piteously,  and  chatters 
more  than  ever  !     But  tell  me  now  all  that  has  happened  to 
you,  and  how  you  managed  to  pick  up  your  old  playfellow.' 

And  Gerda  and  Kay  told  their  story. 

'  Snip-snap-snurre-basselurre  !  '  said  the  robber- maiden. 
She  pressed  the  hands  of  both,  promised  that  if  ever  she  passed 
through  their  town  she  would  pay  them  a  visit,  and  then  bade 
them  farewell,  and  rode  away  out  into  the  wide  world. 

Kay  and  Gerda  walked  on  hand  in  hand,  and  wherever  they 
went  it  was  spring,  beautiful  spring,  with  its  bright  flowers 
and  green  leaves. 

They  arrived  at  a  large  town,  the  church  bells  were  ringing 
merrily,  and  they  immediately  recognised  the  high  towers 
rising  into  the  sky — it  was  the  town  wherein  they  had  lived. 
Joyfully  they  passed  through  the  streets,  joyfully  they  stopped 
at  the  door  of  Gerda's  grandmother.  They  walked  up  the 
stairs  and  entered  the  well-known  room.  The  clock  said 
'  Tick,  tick  ! '  and  the  hands  moved  as  before.  Only  one 
alteration  could  they  find,  and  that  was  in  themselves,  for  they 
saw  that  they  were  now  full-grown  persons.  The  rose-trees 
on  the  roof  blossomed  in  front  of  the  open  window,  and  there 
beneath  them  stood  the  children's  stools.  Kay  and  Gerda 
went  and  sat  down  upon  them,  still  holding  each  other  by  the 
hands  ;  the  cold,  hollow  splendour  of  the  Snow  Queen's  palace 
they  had  forgotten,  it  seemed  to  them  only  an  unpleasant 
118 


THE  SNOW  QUEEN 

dream.  The  grandmother  meanwhile  sat  amid  God's  bright 
sunshine,  and  read  from  the  Bible  these  words  :  '  Unless  ye 
become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.' 

And  Kay  and  Gerda  gazed  on  each  other  ;  they  now  under- 
stood the  words  of  their  hymn — 

'  Our  roses  bloom  and  fade  away, 
Our  Infant  Lord  abides  alway  ; 
May  we  be  blessed  His  face  to  see, 
And  ever  little  children  be  ! ' 

There  they  sat,  those  two  happy  ones,  grown-up  and  yet 
children — children  in  heart,  while  all  around  them  glowed 
bright  summer, — warm,  glorious  summer. 


119 


THE   ELFIN    KING  S    HOUSEKEEPER 


ELFIN-MOUNT 

SEVERAL  large  lizards  were  running  nimbly  in  and  out 
among  the  clefts  of  an  old  tree ;  they  could  under- 
stand each  other  perfectly  well,  for  they  all  spoke  the 
lizards'  language.  '  Only  hear  what  a  rumbling  and  grumbling 
there  is  in  the  old  Elfin-mount  yonder  !  '  observed  one  lizard. 
'  I  have  not  been  able  to  close  my  eyes  for  the  last  two 
nights ;  I  might  as  well  have  had  the  toothache,  for  the  sleep 
I  have  had  !  ' 

'  There  is  something  in  the  wind,  most  certainly  !  '  rejoined 
the  second  lizard.  '  They  raise  the  Mount  upon  four  red 
pillars  till  cock-crowing  ;  there  is  a  regular  cleaning  and  dust- 
ing going  on,  and  the  Elfin-maidens  are  learning  new  dances — 
such  a  stamping  they  make  in  them  !  There  is  certainly 
something  in  the  wind  !  ' 

'  Yes  ;  I  have  been  talking  it  over  with  an  earth-worm  of 
my  acquaintance,'  said  a  third  lizard.  4  The  earth-worm  has 
just  come  from  the  Mount ;  he  has  been  grubbing  in  the 
ground  there  for  days  and  nights  together,  and  has  overheard 
a  good  deal ;  he  can't  see  at  all,  poor  wretch  !  but  no  one  can 
be  quicker  than  he  is  at  feeling  and  hearing.  They  are  expect- 
ing strangers  at  the  Elfin-mount — distinguished  strangers ; 
but  who  they  are,  the  earth-worm  would  not  say  ;  most  likely 
he  did  not  know.  All  the  wills-o'-the-wisp  are  engaged  to 
form  a  procession  of  torches — so  they  call  it ;  and  all  the 
silver  and  gold,  of  which  there  is  such  a  store  in  the  Elfin- 

121 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

mount,  is  being  fresh  rubbed  up,  and  set  out  to  shine  in  the 
moonlight.' 

4  But  who  can  these  strangers  be  ?  '  exclaimed  all  the 
lizards  with  one  voice.  '  What  can  be  in  the  wind  ?  Only 
listen  ! — what  buzzing  and  humming  !  ' 

Just  then  the  Elfin-mount  parted  asunder ;  and  an  elderly 
Elfin  damsel  came  tripping  out — she  was  the  old  Elfin-King's 
housekeeper,  and  distantly  related  to  his  family,  on  which 
account  she  wore  an  amber  heart  on  her  forehead,  but  was 
otherwise  plainly  dressed.  Like  all  other  elves,  she  was  hollow 
in  the  back.  She  was  very  quick  and  light-footed  ;  trip — trip 
— trip,  away  she  ran,  straight  into  the  marsh,  to  the  night- 
raven.  4  You  are  invited  to  Elfin-mount,  for  this  very  even- 
ing,' said  she  ;  4  but  will  you  not  first  do  us  a  very  great  kind- 
ness, and  be  the  bearer  of  the  other  invitations  ?  You  do 
not  keep  house,  yourself,  you  know ;  so  you  can  easily  oblige 
us.  We  are  expecting  some  very  distinguished  strangers, 
Trolds  in  fact ;  and  his  Elfin  Majesty  intends  to  welcome  them 
in  person.' 

4  Who  are  to  be  invited  ?  '  inquired  the  night-raven. 

4  Why,  to  the  grand  ball  all  the  world  may  come ;  even 
men,  if  they  could  but  talk  in  their  sleep,  or  do  a  little  bit  of 
anything  in  our  way.  But  the  first  banquet  must  be  very 
select ;  none  but  guests  of  the  very  highest  rank  must  be 
present.  To  say  the  truth,  I  and  the  King  have  been  having 
a  little  dispute ;  for  I  insist,  that  not  even  ghosts  may  be 
admitted  to-night.  The  Mer-King  and  his  daughters  must  be 
invited  first ;  they  don't  much  like  coming  on  land,  but  I  '11 
promise  they  shall  each  have  a  wet  stone,  or,  perhaps,  some- 
thing better  still,  to  sit  on ;  and  then,  I  think,  they  cannot 
possibly  refuse  us  this  time.  All  old  Trolds  of  the  first  rank 
we  must  have  ;  also,  the  River-Spirit  and  the  Nisses  ;  and,  I 
122 


ELFIN-MOUNT 

fancy,  we  cannot  pass  over  the  Death-Horse  and  Kirkegrim  ; 
true,  they  do  not  belong  to  our  set,  they  are  too  solemn  for  us, 
but  they  are  connected  with  the  family,  and  pay  us  regular 
visits.' 

*  Caw  ! '  said  the  night-raven  ;  and  away  he  flew  to  bear 
the  invitations. 

The  Elfin-maidens  were  still  dancing  in  the  Elfin-mount ; 
they  danced  with  long  scarfs  woven  from  mist  and  moonlight, 
and  for  those  who  like  that  sort  of  thing  it  looks  pretty  enough. 
The  large  state-room  in  the  Mount  had  been  regularly  cleaned 
and  cleared  out;  the  floor  had  been  washed  with  moonshine, 
and  the  walls  rubbed  with  witches'  fat  till  they  shone  as  tulips 
do  when  held  up  to  the  light.  In  the  kitchen,  frogs  were  roast- 
ing on  the  spit ;  while  divers  other  choice  dishes,  such  as 
mushroom  seed,  hemlock  soup,  etc.,  were  prepared  or  prepar- 
ing. These  were  to  supply  the  first  courses ;  rusty  nails,  bits 
of  coloured  glass,  and  such  like  dainties,  were  to  come  in  for 
the  dessert;  there  was  also  bright  saltpetre  wine,  and  ale 
brewed  in  the  brewery  of  the  Wise  Witch  of  the  Moor. 

The  old  Elfin-King's  gold  crown  had  been  fresh  rubbed 
with  powdered  slate-pencil ;  new  curtains  had  been  hung  up 
in  all  the  sleeping-rooms, — yes,  there  was  indeed  a  rare  bustle 
and  commotion. 

'  Now,  we  must  have  the  rooms  scented  with  cows'  hairs 
and  swine's  bristles  ;  and  then,  I  think,  I  shall  have  done  my 
part !  '  said  the  Elfin-King's  housekeeper. 

4  Dear  papa,'  said  the  youngest  of  the  daughters,  '  won't 
you  tell  me  now  who  these  grand  visitors  are  ?  ' 

1  Well !  '  replied  His  Majesty,  '  I  suppose  there's  no  use  in 
keeping  it  a  secret.  Let  two  of  my  daughters  get  themselves 
ready  for  their  wedding-day,  that's  all !  Two  of  them  most 
certainly  will  be  married.  The  Chief  of  the  Norwegian  Trolds, 

123 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

he  who  dwells  in  old  Dofrefield,  and  has  so  many  castles  of 
freestone  among  these  rocky  fastnesses,  besides  a  gold-mine, — 
which  is  a  capital  thing,  let  me  tell  you, — he  is  coming  down 
here  with  his  two  boys,  who  are  both  to  choose  themselves  a 
bride.  Such  an  honest,  straightforward,  true  old  Norseman 
is  this  mountain  chief  !  so  merry  and  jovial !  he  and  I  are  old 
comrades  ;  he  came  down  here  years  ago  to  fetch  his  wife  ; 


THE    MER-KING    MUST    BE    INVITED    FIRST 


she  is  dead  now ;  she  was  the  daughter  of  the  Rock-King  at 
Moen.  Oh,  how  I  long  to  see  the  old  Norseman  again  !  His 
sons,  they  say,  are  rough  unmannerly  cubs,  but  perhaps  report 
may  have  done  them  injustice,  and  at  any  rate  they  are  sure 
to  improve  in  a  year  or  two,  when  they  have  sown  their  wild 
oats.  Let  me  see  how  you  will  polish  them  up  !  ' 

'  And  how  soon  are  they  to  be  here  ?  *  inquired  his  youngest 
daughter  again. 

4  That  depends  on  wind  and  weather  !  '  returned  the  Elfin- 
124 


ELFIN-MOUNT 

King.  '  They  travel  economically ;  they  come  at  the  ship's 
convenience.  I  wanted  them  to  pass  over  by  Sweden,  but  the 
old  man  would  not  hear  of  that.  He  does  not  keep  pace  with 
the  times,  that 's  the  only  fault  I  can  find  with  him.' 

Just  then  two  wills-o'-the-wisp  were  seen  dancing  up  in  a 
vast  hurry,  each  trying  to  get  before  the  other,  and  to  be  the 
first  to  bring  the  news. 

4  They  come,  they  come  !  '  cried  both  with  one  voice. 
4  Give  me  my  crown,  and  let  me  stand  in  the  moonlight !  ' 
said  the  Elfin-King. 

And  his  seven  daughters  lifted  their  long  scarfs  and  bowed 
low  to  the  earth. 

There  stood  the  Trold  Chief  from  the  Dofrefield,  wearing  a 
crown  composed  of  icicles  and  polished  pine  cones ;  for  the 
rest,  he  was  equipped  in  a  bear-skin  cloak  and  sledge-boots ; 
his  sons  were  clad  more  slightly,  and  kept  their  throats  un- 
covered, by  way  of  showing  that  they  cared  nothing  about  the 
cold. 

4  Is  that  a  mount  ?  '  asked  the  youngest  of  them,  pointing 
to  it.  '  Why,  up  in  Norway  we  should  call  it  a  cave  ! ' 

1  You  foolish  boy  ! '  replied  his  father  ;  '  a  cave  you  go  into, 
a  mount  you  go  up  !  Where  are  your  eyes,  not  to  see  the 
difference  ?  ' 

The  only  thing  that  surprised  them  in  this  country,  they 
said,  was  that  the  people  should  speak  and  understand  their 
language. 

4  Behave  yourselves  now  !  '  said  the  old  man ;  '  don't  let 
your  host  fancy  you  never  went  into  decent  company  before  ! ' 
And  now  they  all  entered  the  Elfin-mount,  into  the  grand 
saloon,  where  a  really  very  select  party  was  assembled,  although 
at  such  short  notice  that  it  seemed  almost  as  though  some 
fortunate  gust  of  wind  had  blown  them  together.  And  every 

125 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

possible  arrangement  had  been  made  for  the  comfort  of  each 
of  the  guests  ;  the  Mer-King's  family,  for  instance,  sat  at  table 
in  large  tubs  of  water,  and  they  declared  they  felt  quite  as  if 
they  were  at  home.  All  behaved  with  strict  good-breeding 
except  the  two  young  northern  Trolds,  who  at  last  so  far 
forgot  themselves  as  to  put  their  legs  on  the  table. 

'  Take  your  legs  away  from  the  plates  !  '  said  their  father, 
and  they  obeyed,  but  not  so  readily  as  they  might  have  done. 
Presently  they  took  some  pine  cones  out  of  their  pockets  and 
began  pelting  the  lady  who  sat  between  them,  and  then, 
finding  their  boots  incommode  them,  they  took  them  off,  and 
coolly  gave  them  to  this  lady  to  hold.  But  their  father,  the 
old  mountain  Chief,  conducted  himself  very  differently ;  he 
talked  so  delightfully  about  the  proud  Norse  mountains,  and 
the  torrents,  white  with  dancing  spray,  that  dashed  foaming 
down  their  rocky  steeps  with  a  noise  loud  and  hoarse  as  thunder, 
yet  musical  as  the  full  burst  of  an  organ,  touched  by  a  master 
hand  ;  he  told  of  the  salmon  leaping  up  from  the  wild  waters 
while  the  Neck  was  playing  on  his  golden  harp  ;  he  told  of  the 
star-light  winter  nights  when  the  sledge  bells  tinkled  so  merrily, 
and  the  youths  ran  with  lighted  torches  over  the  icy  crust,  so 
glassy  and  transparent  that  through  it  they  could  see  the  fishes 
whirling  to  and  fro  in  deadly  terror  beneath  their  feet ;  he  told 
of  the  gallant  northern  youths  and  pretty  maidens  singing 
songs  of  old  time,  and  dancing  the  Hallinge  dance, — yes,  so 
charmingly  he  described  all  this,  that  you  could  not  but  fancy 
you  heard  and  saw  it  all.  Oh  fie,  for  shame  :  all  of  a  sudden 
the  mountain  Chief  turned  round  upon  the  elderly  Elfin 
maiden,  and  gave  her  a  cousinly  salute,  and  he  was  not  yet 
connected  ever  so  remotely  with  the  family. 

The  young  Elfin-maidens  were  now  called  upon  to  dance. 
First  they  danced  simple  dances,  then  stamping  dances,  and 
126 


Round  and  round  they  went,  such  whirling  and  twirling 


ELFIN-MOUNT 

they  did  both  remarkably  well.  Last  came  the  most  difficult 
of  all,  the  '  Dance  out  of  the  dance,'  as  it  was  called.  Bravo  ! 
how  long  their  legs  seemed  to  grow,  and  how  they  whirled  and 
spun  about !  You  could  hardly  distinguish  legs  from  arms, 
or  arms  from  legs.  Round  and  round  they  went,  such  whirling 
and  twirling,  such  whirring  and  whizzing  there  was  that  it 
made  the  death-horse  feel  quite  dizzy,  and  at  last  he  grew  so 
unwell  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the  table. 


THEY    FELT    QUITE    AS    IF    THEY    WERE    AT    HOME 

4  Hurrah  !  '  cried  the  mountain  Chief,  4  they  know  how  to 
use  their  limbs  with  a  vengeance  !  but  can  they  do  nothing 
else  than  dance,  stretch  out  their  feet,  and  spin  round  like  a 
whirlwind  ?  ' 

4  You  shall  judge  for  yourself,'  replied  the  Elfin-King,  and 
here  he  called  the  eldest  of  his  daughters  to  him.  She  was 
transparent  and  fair  as  moonlight ;  she  was,  in  fact,  the  most 
delicate  of  all  the  sisters ;  she  put  a  white  wand  between  her 
lips  and  vanished  :  that  was  her  accomplishment. 

But  the  mountain  Chief  said  he  should  not  at  all  like  his 

127 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

wife  to  possess  such  an  accomplishment  as  this,  and  he  did  not 
think  his  sons  would  like  it  either. 

The  second  could  walk  by  the  side  of  herself,  just  as  though 
she  had  a  shadow,  which  elves  and  trolds  never  have. 

The  accomplishment  of  the  third  sister  was  of  quite  another 
kind  :  she  had  learned  how  to  brew  good  ale  from  the  Wise 
Witch  of  the  Moor,  and  she  also  knew  how  to  lard  alder- wood 
with  glow-worms. 

'  She  will  make  a  capital  housewife,'  remarked  the  old 
mountain  Chief. 

And  now  advanced  the  fourth  Elfin  damsel ;  she  carried  a 
large  gold  harp,  and  no  sooner  had  she  struck  the  first  chord 
than  all  the  company  lifted  their  left  feet — for  elves  are  left- 
sided — and  when  she  struck  the  second  chord,  they  were  all 
compelled  to  do  whatever  she  wished. 

4  A  dangerous  lady,  indeed  ! '  said  the  old  Trold  Chief. 
Both  of  his  sons  now  got  up  and  strode  out  of  the  mount ;  they 
were  heartily  weary  of  these  accomplishments. 

'  And  what  can  the  next  daughter  do  ?  '  asked  the  mountain 
Chief. 

'  I  have  learned  to  love  the  north,'  replied  she,  '  and  I  have 
resolved  never  to  marry  unless  I  may  go  to  Norway.' 

But  the  youngest  of  the  sisters  whispered  to  the  old  man, 
'  That  is  only  because  she  has  heard  an  old  Norse  rhyme, 
which  says  that  when  the  end  of  the  world  shall  come,  the 
Norwegian  rocks  shall  stand  firm  amid  the  ruins ;  she  is  very 
much  afraid  of  death,  and  therefore  she  wants  to  go  to  Norway.' 

6  Ho,  ho  !  '  cried  the  mountain  Chief,  '  sits  the  wind  in  that 
quarter  ?  But  what  can  the  seventh  and  last  do  ?  ' 

4  The  sixth  comes  before  the  seventh,'  said  the  Elfin-King  ; 
for  he  could  count  better  than  to  make  such  a  mistake.     How- 
ever, the  sixth  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  come  forward. 
128 


ELFIN-MOUNT 

'  I  can  only  tell  people  the  truth,'  said  she.  4  Let  no  one 
trouble  himself  about  me;  I  have  enough  to  do  to  sew  my 
shroud  !  ' 

And  now  came  the  seventh  and  last,  and  what  could  she 
do  ?  Why,  she  could  tell  fairy  tales,  as  many  as  any  one  could 
wish  to  hear. 

'  Here  are  my  five  fingers,'  said  the  mountain  Chief ;  '  tell 
me  a  story  for  each  finger.' 

And  the  Elfin-maiden  took  hold  of  his  wrist,  and  told  her 
stories,  and  he  laughed  till  his  sides  ached,  and  when  she  came 
to  the  finger  that  wore  a  gold  ring,  as  though  it  knew  it  might 
be  wanted,  the  mountain  Chief  suddenly  exclaimed,  '  Hold 
fast  what  thou  hast ;  the  hand  is  thine  !  I  will  have  thee 
myself  to  wife  !  '  But  the  Elfin-maiden  said  that  she  had  still 
two  more  stories  to  tell,  one  for  the  ring-finger,  and  another 
for  the  little  finger. 

4  Keep  them  for  next  winter,  we  '11  hear  them  then,'  replied 
the  mountain  Chief.    '  And  we  '11  hear  about  the  "  Loves  of  the 
Fir-Tree  and  the  Birch,"  about  the  Valkyria's  gifts  too,  for  we 
all  love  fairy  legends  in  Norway,  and  no  one  there  can  tell  them 
so  charmingly  as  thou  dost.     And  then  we  will  sit  in  our  rocky 
halls,  whilst  the  fir-logs  are  blazing  and  crackling  in  the  stove, 
and  drink  mead  out  of  the  golden  horns  of  the  old  Norse  kings  ; 
the  Neck  has  taught  me  a  few  of  his  rare  old  ditties,  besides 
the  Garbo  will  often  come  and  pay  us  a  visit,  and  he  will  sing 
thee  all  the  sweet  songs  that  the  mountain  maidens  sang  in 
days  of  yore ; — that  will  be  most  delightful !     The  salmon  in 
the  torrent  will  spring  up  and  beat  himself  against  the  rock 
walls,  but  in  vain,  he  will  not  be  able  to  get  in.     Oh,  thou  canst 
not  imagine  what  a  happy,  glorious  life  we  lead  in  that  dear 
old  Norway  !     But  where  are  the  boys  ?  ' 

Where  were  the  boys  ?     Why,  they  were  racing  about  in 
i  129 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

the  fields  and  blowing  out  the  poor  wills-o'-the-wisp,  who  were 
just  ranging  themselves  in  the  proper  order  to  make  a  pro- 
cession of  torches. 

'  What  do  you  mean  by  making  all  this  riot  ?  '  inquired 
the  mountain  Chief.  4 1  have  been  choosing  you  a  mother ; 
now  you  come  and  choose  yourselves  wives  from  among  your 
aunts.' 

But  his  sons  said  they  would  rather  make  speeches  and 
drink  toasts ;  they  had  not  the  slightest  wish  to  marry.  And 


I    WILL    HAVE    THEE    MYSELF    TO    WIFE 


accordingly  they  made  speeches,  tossed  off  their  glasses  and 
turned  them  topsy-turvy  on  the  table,  to  show  that  they  were 
quite  empty  ;  after  this  they  took  off  their  coats,  and  most 
unceremoniously  lay  down  on  the  table  and  went  to  sleep. 
But  the  old  mountain  Chief,  the  while,  danced  round  the  hall 
130 


ELFIN-MOUNT 

with  his  young  bride,  and  exchanged  boots  with  her,  because 
that  is  not  so  vulgar  as  exchanging  rings. 

4  Listen,  the  cock  is  crowing  ! '  exclaimed  the  lady-house- 
keeper. '  We  must  make  haste  and  shut  the  window-shutters 
close,  or  the  sun  will  scorch  our  complexions.' 

And  herewith  Elfin-mount  closed. 

But  outside,  in  the  cloven  trunk,  the  lizards  kept  running 
up  and  down,  and  one  and  all  declared,  '  What  a  capital  fellow 
that  old  Norwegian  Trold  is  ! '  '  For  my  part,  I  prefer  the 
boys,'  said  the  earth-worm ; — but  he,  poor  wretch,  could  see 
nothing  either  of  them  or  of  their  father,  so  his  opinion  was  not 
worth  much. 


131 


THE  LITTLE 


MERMAID 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

FAR  out  in  the  wide  sea, — where  the  water  is  blue  as 
the  loveliest  cornflower,  and  clear  as  the  purest 
crystal,  where  it  is  so  deep  that  very,  very  many 
church-towers  must  be  heaped  one  upon  another  in  order 
to  reach  from  the  lowest  depth  to  the  surface  above, — dwell 
the  Mer-people. 

Now  you  must  not  imagine  that  there  is  nothing  but  sand 
below  the  water :  no,  indeed,  far  from  it !  Trees  and  plants 
of  wondrous  beauty  grow  there,  whose  stems  and  leaves  are 
so  light,  that  they  are  waved  to  and  fro  by  the  slightest  motion 
of  the  water,  almost  as  if  they  were  living  beings.  Fishes, 
great  and  small,  glide  in  and  out  among  the  branches,  just  as 
birds  fly  about  among  our  trees. 

Where  the  water  is  deepest  stands  the  palace  of  the  Mer- 
iting. The  walls  of  this  palace  are  of  coral,  and  the  high, 
pointed  windows  are  of  amber ;  the  roof,  however,  is  com- 
posed of  mussel- shells,  which,  as  the  billows  pass  over  them, 
are  continually  opening  and  shutting.  This  looks  exceedingly 
pretty,  especially  as  each  of  these  mussel-shells  contains  a 
number  of  bright,  glittering  pearls,  one  only  of  which  would 
be  the  most  costly  ornament  in  the  diadem  of  a  king  in  the 
upper  world. 

The  Mer-king,  who  lived  in  this  palace,  had  been  for  many 
years  a  widower ;  his  old  mother  managed  the  household 
affairs  for  him.  She  was,  on  the  whole,  a  sensible  sort  of  a 

133 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

lady,  although  extremely  proud  of  her  high  birth  and  station, 
on  which  account  she  wore  twelve  oysters  on  her  tail,  whilst 
the  other  inhabitants  of  the  sea,  even  those  of  distinction,  were 
allowed  only  six.  In  every  other  respect  she  merited  unlimited 
praise,  especially  for  the  affection  she  showed  to  the  six  little 
princesses,  her  grand-daughters.  These  were  all  very  beautiful 
children ;  the  youngest  was,  however,  the  most  lovely ;  her 
skin  was  as  soft  and  delicate  as  a  rose-leaf,  her  eyes  were  of  as 
deep  a  blue  as  the  sea,  but  like  all  other  mermaids,  she  had  no 
feet,  her  body  ended  in  a  tail  like  that  of  a  fish. 

The  whole  day  long  the  children  used  to  play  in  the  spacious 
apartments  of  the  palace,  where  beautiful  flowers  grew  out  of 
the  walls  on  all  sides  around  them.  When  the  great  amber 
windows  were  opened,  fishes  would  swim  into  these  apartments 
as  swallows  fly  into  our  rooms ;  but  the  fishes  were  bolder 
than  the  swallows,  they  swam  straight  up  to  the  little  princesses, 
ate  from  their  hands,  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  caressed. 

In  front  of  the  palace  there  was  a  large  garden,  full  of  fiery 
red  and  dark  blue  trees,  whose  fruit  glittered  like  gold,  and 
whose  flowers  resembled  a  bright,  burning  sun.  The  sand 
that  formed  the  soil  of  the  garden  was  of  a  bright  blue  colour, 
something  like  flames  of  sulphur ;  and  a  strangely  beautiful 
blue  was  spread  over  the  whole,  so  that  one  might  have  fancied 
oneself  raised  very  high  in  the  air,  with  the  sky  at  once  above 
and  below,  certainly  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  When  the 
waters  were  quite  still,  the  sun  might  be  seen  looking  like  a 
purple  flower,  out  of  whose  cup  streamed  forth  the  light  of 
the  world. 

Each  of  the  little  princesses  had  her  own  plot  in  the  garden, 

where  she  might  plant  and  sow  at  her  pleasure.     One  chose 

hers  to  be  made  in  the  shape  of  a  whale,  another  preferred  the 

figure  of  a  mermaid,  but  the  youngest  had  hers  quite  round 

134 


She  put  the  statue  in  her  garden 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

like  the  sun,  and  planted  in  it  only  those  flowers  that  were  red, 
as  the  sun  seemed  to  her.  She  was  certainly  a  singular  child, 
very  quiet  and  thoughtful.  Whilst  her  sisters  were  adorning 
themselves  with  all  sorts  of  gay  things  that  came  out  of  a  ship 
which  had  been  wrecked,  she  asked  for  nothing  but  a  beautiful 
white  marble  statue  of  a  boy,  which  had  been  found  in  it. 
She  put  the  statue  in  her  garden,  and  planted  a  red  weeping 
willow  by  its  side.  The  tree  grew  up  quickly,  and  let  its  long 
boughs  fall  upon  the  bright  blue  ground,  where  ever-moving 
shadows  played  in  violet  hues,  as  if  boughs  and  root  were 
embracing. 

Nothing  pleased  the  little  princess  more  than  to  hear  about 
the  world  of  human  beings  living  above  the  sea.  She  made  her 
old  grandmother  tell  her  everything  she  knew  about  ships, 
towns,  men,  and  land  animals,  and  was  particularly  pleased 
when  she  heard  that  the  flowers  of  the  upper  world  had  a 
pleasant  fragrance  (for  the  flowers  of  the  sea  are  scentless), 
and  that  the  woods  were  green,  and  the  fishes  fluttering  among 
the  branches  of  various  gay  colours,  and  that  they  could  sing 
with  a  loud  clear  voice.  The  old  lady  meant  birds,  but  she 
called  them  fishes,  because  her  grandchildren,  having  never 
seen  a  bird,  would  not  otherwise  have  understood  her. 

'  When  you  have  attained  your  fifteenth  year,'  added  she, 
'  you  will  be  permitted  to  rise  to  the  surface  of  the  sea ;  you 
will  then  sit  by  moonlight  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  see  the  ships 
sail  by,  and  learn  to  distinguish  towns  and  men.' 

The  next  year  the  eldest  of  the  sisters  reached  this  happy 
age,  but  the  others — alas  !  the  second  sister  was  a  year  younger 
than  the  eldest,  the  third  a  year  younger  than  the  second,  and 
so  on  ;  the  youngest  had  still  five  whole  years  to  wait  till  that 
joyful  time  should  come  when  she  also  might  rise  to  the  surface 
of  the  water  and  see  what  was  going  on  in  the  upper  world  ; 

135 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

however,  the  eldest  promised  to  tell  the  others  of  everything 
she  might  see,  when  the  first  day  of  her  being  of  age  arrived  ; 
for  the  grandmother  gave  them  but  little  information,  and 
there  was  so  much  that  they  wished  to  hear. 

But  none  of  all  the  sisters  longed  so  ardently  for  the  day 
when  she  should  be  released  from  childish  restraint  as  the 
youngest,  she  who  had  longest  to  wait,  and  was  so  quiet  and 
thoughtful.  Many  a  night  she  stood  by  the  open  window, 
looking  up  through  the  clear  blue  water,  whilst  the  fishes  were 
leaping  and  playing  around  her.  She  could  see  the  sun  and 
the  moon  ;  their  light  was  pale,  but  they  appeared  larger  than 
they  do  to  those  who  live  in  the  upper  world.  If  a  shadow 
passed  over  them,  she  knew  it  must  be  either  a  whale  or  a  ship 
sailing  by  full  of  human  beings,  who  indeed  little  thought  that, 
far  beneath  them,  a  little  mermaid  was  passionately  stretching 
forth  her  white  hands  towards  their  ship's  keel. 

The  day  had  now  arrived  when  the  eldest  princess  had 
attained  her  fifteenth  year,  and  was  therefore  allowed  to  rise 
up  to  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

When  she  returned  she  had  a  thousand  things  to  relate. 
Her  chief  pleasure  had  been  to  sit  upon  a  sandbank  in  the 
moonlight,  looking  at  the  large  town  which  lay  on  the  coast, 
where  lights  were  beaming  like  stars,  and  where  music  was 
playing  ;  she  had  heard  the  distant  noise  of  men  and  carriages, 
she  had  seen  the  high  church-towers,  had  listened  to  the  ringing 
of  the  bells  ;  and  just  because  she  could  not  go  there  she  longed 
the  more  after  all  these  things. 

How  attentively  did  her  youngest  sister  listen  to  her  words  ! 
And  when  she  next  stood  at  night-time  by  her  open  window, 
gazing  upward  through  the  blue  waters,  she  thought  so  in- 
tensely of  the  great  noisy  city  that  she  fancied  she  could  hear 
the  church-bells  ringing. 
136 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

Next  year  the  second  sister  received  permission  to  swim 
wherever  she  pleased.  She  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  sea,  just 
when  the  sun  was  setting ;  and  this  sight  so  delighted  her, 
that  she  declared  it  to  be  more  beautiful  than  anything  else 
she  had  seen  above  the  waters. 

'The  whole  sky  seemed  tinged  with 
gold,'  said  she,  '  and  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  describe  to  you  the  beauty  of  the 
clouds.  Now  red,  now  violet,  they  glided 
over  me ;  but  still  more  swiftly  flew 
over  the  water  a  flock  of  white  swans, 
just  where  the  sun  was  descending ;  I 
looked  after  them,  but  the  sun  disap- 
peared, and  the  bright  rosy  light  on  the 
surface  of  the  sea  and  on  the  edges  of  the 
clouds  was  gradually  extinguished.' 

It  was  now  time  for  the  third  sister 
to  visit  the  upper  world.  She  was  the 
boldest  of  the  six,  and  ventured  up  a 
river.  On  its  shores  she  saw  green  hills 
covered  with  woods  and  vineyards,  from 
among  which  arose  houses  and  castles ; 
she  heard  the  birds  singing,  and  the  sun 
shone  with  so  much  power,  that  she  was 
continually  obliged  to  plunge  below,  in 
order  to  cool  her  burning  face.  In  a  little 
bay  she  met  with  a  number  of  children, 
who  were  bathing  and  jumping  about ;  she  would  have  joined 
in  their  gambols,  but  the  children  fled  back  to  land  in  great 
terror,  and  a  little  black  animal  barked  at  her  in  such  a 
manner,  that  she  herself  was  frightened  at  last,  and  swam  back 
to  the  sea.  She  could  not,  however,  forget  the  green  woods, 

137 


SHE    AVAS    ON    THE    WHOLE 
A  SENSIBLE  SORT  OF  LADY 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

the  verdant  hills,  and  the  pretty  children,  who,  although  they 
had  no  fins,  were  swimming  about  in  the  river  so  fearlessly. 

The  fourth  sister  was  not  so  bold,  she  remained  in  the  open 
sea,  and  said  on  her  return  home  she  thought  nothing  could 
be  more  beautiful.  She  had  seen  ships  sailing  by,  so  far  off 
that  they  looked  like  sea-gulls,  she  had  watched  the  merry 
dolphins  gambolling  in  the  water,  and  the  enormous  whales, 
sending  up  into  the  air  a  thousand  sparkling  fountains. 

The  year  after,  the  fifth  sister  attained  her  fifteenth  year. 
Her  birthday  happened  at  a  different  season  to  that  of  her 
sisters ;  it  was  winter,  the  sea  was  of  a  green  colour,  and 
immense  icebergs  were  floating  on  its  surface.  These,  she  said, 
looked  like  pearls  ;  they  were,  however,  much  larger  than  the 
church-towers  in  the  land  of  human  beings.  She  sat  down  upon 
one  of  these  pearls,  and  let  the  wind  play  with  her  long  hair, 
but  then  all  the  ships  hoisted  their  sails  in  terror,  and  escaped 
as  quickly  as  possible.  In  the  evening  the  sky  was  covered 
with  sails ;  and  whilst  the  great  mountains  of  ice  alternately 
sank  and  rose  again,  and  beamed  with  a  reddish  glow,  flashes 
of  lightning  burst  forth  from  the  clouds,  and  the  thunder  rolled 
on,  peal  after  peal.  The  sails  of  all  the  ships  were  instantly 
furled,  and  horror  and  affright  reigned  on  board,  but  the 
princess  sat  still  on  the  iceberg,  looking  unconcernedly  at  the 
blue  zig-zag  of  the  flashes. 

The  first  time  that  either  of  these  sisters  rose  out  of  the  sea, 
she  was  quite  enchanted  at  the  sight  of  so  many  new  and 
beautiful  objects,  but  the  novelty  was  soon  over,  and  it  was 
not  long  ere  their  own  home  appeared  more  attractive  than  the 
upper  world,  for  there  only  did  they  find  everything  agreeable. 

Many  an  evening  would  the  five  sisters  rise  hand  in  hand 
from  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  Their  voices  were  far  sweeter 
than  any  human  voice,  and  when  a  storm  was  coming  on,  they 
138 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

would  swim  in  front  of  the  ships,  and  sing, — oh  !  how  sweetly 
did  they  sing !  describing  the  happiness  of  those  who  lived 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  entreating  the  sailors  not  to  be 
afraid,  but  to  come  down  to  them. 

The  mariners,  however,  did  not  understand  their  words ; 
they  fancied  the  song  was  only  the  whistling  of  the  wind,  and 
thus  they  lost  the  hidden  glories  of  the  sea ;  for  if  their  ships 
were  wrecked,  all  on  board  were  drowned,  and  none  but  dead 
men  ever  entered  the  Mer-king's  palace. 

Whilst  the  sisters  were  swimming  at  evening-time,  the 
youngest  would  remain  motionless  and  alone,  in  her  father's 
palace,  looking  up  after  them.  She  would  have  wept,  but 
mermaids  cannot  weep,  and  therefore,  when  they  are  troubled, 
suffer  infinitely  more  than  human  beings  do. 

4  Oh,  if  I  were  but  fifteen  ! '  sighed  she,  '  I  know  that  I 
should  love  the  upper  world  and  its  inhabitants  so  much.' 

At  last  the  time  she  had  so  longed  for  arrived. 

4  Well,  now  it  is  your  turn,'  said  the  grandmother ;  '  come 
here,  that  I  may  adorn  you  like  your  sisters.'  And  she  wound 
around  her  hair  a  wreath  of  white  lilies,  whose  every  petal 
was  the  half  of  a  pearl,  and  then  commanded  eight  large 
oysters  to  fasten  themselves  to  the  princess's  tail,  in  token  of 
her  high  rank. 

4  But   that   is   so   very   uncomfortable  !  '    said   the   little 
princess. 

4  One  must  not  mind  slight  inconveniences  when  one  wishes 
to  look  well,'  said  the  old  lady. 

How  willingly  would  the  princess  have  given  up  all  this 
splendour,  and  exchanged  her  heavy  crown  for  the  red  flowers 
of  her  garden,  which  were  so  much  more  becoming  to  her; 
But  she  dared  not  do  so.  4  Farewell,'  said  she  ;  and  she  rose 
from  the  sea,  light  as  a  flake  of  foam. 

139 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

When,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  she  appeared  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  the  sun  had  just  sunk  below  the  horizon, 
the  clouds  were  beaming  with  bright  golden  and  rosy  hues,  the 


THE    YOUNGEST    WAS    THE    MOST    LOVELY 


evening  star  was  shining  in  the  pale  western  sky,  the  air  was 
mild  and  refreshing,  and  the  sea  as  smooth  as  a  looking-glass. 
A  large  ship  with  three  masts  lay  on  the  still  waters  ;  one  sail 
only  was  unfurled,  but  not  a  breath  was  stirring,  and  the  sailors 
140 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

were  quietly  seated  on  the  cordage  and  ladders  of  the  vessel. 
Music  and  song  resounded  from  the  deck,  and  after  it  grew 
dark  hundreds  of  lamps  all  on  a  sudden  burst  forth  into  light, 
whilst  innumerable  flags  were  fluttering  overhead.     The  little 
mermaid  swam  close  up  to  the  captain's  cabin,  and  every  now 
and  then  when  the  ship  was  raised  by  the  motion  of  the  water, 
she  could  look  through  the  clear  window  panes.     She  saw 
within  many  richly  dressed  men ;    the    handsomest   among 
them  was  a  young  prince  with  large  black  eyes.     He  could 
not  certainly  be  more  than  sixteen  years  old,  and  it  was  in 
honour  of  his  birthday  that  a  grand  festival  was  being  cele- 
brated.    The  crew  were  dancing  on  the  deck,  and  when  the 
young  prince  appeared  among  them,  a  hundred  rockets  were 
sent  up  into  the  air,  turning  night  into  day,  and  so  terrifying 
the  little  mermaid,  that  for  some  minutes  she  plunged  beneath 
the  water.     However,  she  soon  raised  her  little  head  again, 
and  then  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  stars  were  falling  down  upon 
her.     Such  a  fiery  shower  she  had  never  even  seen  before, 
never  had  she  heard  that  men  possessed  such  wonderful  powers. 
Large  suns  revolved  around  her,  bright  fishes  swam  in  the  air, 
and  everything  was  reflected  perfectly  on  the  clear  surface  of 
the  sea.     It  was  so  light  in  the  ship,  that  everything  could  be 
seen  distinctly.     Oh,  how  happy  the  young  prince  was  !     He 
shook  hands  with  the  sailors,  laughed  and  jested  with  them, 
whilst  sweet  notes  of  music  mingled  with  the  silence  of  night. 

It  was  now  late,  but  the  little  mermaid  could  not  tear  herself 
away  from  the  ship  and  the  handsome  young  prince.  She 
remained  looking  through  the  cabin  window,  rocked  to  and 
fro  by  the  waves.  There  was  a  foaming  and  fermentation  in 
the  depths  beneath,  and  the  ship  began  to  move  on  faster ;  the 
sails  were  spread,  the  waves  rose  high,  thick  clouds  gathered 
over  the  sky,  and  the  noise  of  distant  thunder  was  heard.  The 

141 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

sailors  perceived  that  a  storm  was  coming  on,  so  they  again 
furled  the  sails.  The  great  vessel  was  tossed  about  on  the 
tempestuous  ocean  like  a  light  boat,  and  the  waves  rose  to  an 
immense  height,  towering  over  the  ship,  which  alternately 
sank  beneath  and  rose  above  them.  To  the  little  mermaid 
this  seemed  most  delightful,  but  the  ship's  crew  thought  very 
differently.  The  vessel  cracked,  the  stout  masts  bent  under 
the  violence  of  the  billows,  the  waters  rushed  in.  For  a 
minute  the  ship  tottered  to  and  fro,  then  the  main-mast  broke, 
as  if  it  had  been  a  reed ;  the  ship  turned  over,  and  was  filled 
with  water.  The  little  mermaid  now  perceived  that  the  crew 
was  in  danger,  for  she  herself  was  forced  to  beware  of  the  beams 
and  splinters  torn  from  the  vessel,  and  floating  about  on  the 
waves.  But  at  the  same  time  it  became  pitch  dark  so  that 
she  could  not  distinguish  anything ;  presently,  however,  a 
dreadful  flash  of  lightning  disclosed  to  her  the  whole  of  the 
wreck.  Her  eyes  sought  the  young  prince — the  same  instant 
the  ship  sank  to  the  bottom.  At  first  she  was  delighted, 
thinking  that  the  prince  must  now  come  to  her  abode ;  but  she 
soon  remembered  that  man  cannot  live  in  water,  and  that 
therefore  if  the  prince  ever  entered  her  palace,  it  would  be  as  a 
corpse. 

4  Die  !  no,  he  must  not  die  !  '  She  swam  through  the 
fragments  with  which  the  water  was  strewn  regardless  of  the 
danger  she  was  incurring,  and  at  last  found  the  prince  all  but 
exhausted,  and  with  great  difficulty  keeping  his  head  above 
water.  He  had  already  closed  his  eyes,  and  must  inevitably 
have  been  drowned,  had  not  the  little  mermaid  come  to  his 
rescue.  She  seized  hold  of  him  and  kept  him  above  water, 
suffering  the  current  to  bear  them  on  together. 

Towards  morning  the  storm  was  hushed ;  no  trace,  how- 
ever, remained  of  the  ship.  The  sun  rose  like  fire  out  of  the 
142 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

sea  ;  his  beams  seemed  to  restore  colour  to  the  prince's  cheeks, 
but  his  eyes  were  still  closed.  The  mermaid  kissed  his  high 
forehead  and  stroked  his  wet  hair  away  from  his  face.  He 
looked  like  the  marble  statue  in  her  garden ;  she  kissed  him 
again  and  wished  most  fervently  that  he  might  recover. 

She  now  saw  the  dry  land  with  its  mountains  glittering 
with  snow.  A  green  wood  extended  along  the  coast,  and  at 
the  entrance  of  the  wood  stood  a  chapel  or  convent,  she  could 
not  be  sure  which.  Citron  and  lemon  trees  grew  in  the  garden 
adjoining  it,  an  avenue  of  tall  palm  trees  led  up  to  the  door. 
The  sea  here  formed  a  little  bay,  in  which  the  water  was  quite 
smooth  but  very  deep,  and  under  the  cliffs  there  were  dry,  firm 
sands.  Hither  swam  the  little  mermaid  with  the  seemingly 
dead  prince  ;  she  laid  him  upon  the  warm  sand,  and  took  care 
to  place  his  head  high,  and  to  turn  his  face  to  the  sun. 

The  bells  began  to  ring  in  the  large  white  building  which 
stood  before  her,  and  a  number  of  young  girls  came  out  to  walk 
in  the  garden.  The  mermaid  went  away  from  the  shore,  hid 
herself  behind  some  stones,  covered  her  head  with  foam,  so 
that  her  little  face  could  not  be  seen,  and  watched  the  prince 
with  unremitting  attention. 

It  was  not  long  before  one  of  the  young  girls  approached. 
She  seemed  quite  frightened  at  finding  the  prince  in  this  state, 
apparently  dead ;  soon,  however,  she  recovered  herself,  and 
ran  back  to  call  her  sisters.  The  little  mermaid  saw  that  the 
prince  revived,  and  that  all  around  smiled  kindly  and  joyfully 
upon  him — for  her,  however,  he  looked  not,  he  knew  not 
that  it  was  she  who  had  saved  him,  and  when  the  prince  was 
taken  into  the  house  she  felt  so  sad,  that  she  immediately 
plunged  beneath  the  water,  and  returned  to  her  father's 
palace. 

If  she  had  been  before  quiet  and  thoughtful,  she  now  grew 

143 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

still  more  so.     Her  sisters  asked  her  what  she  had  seen  in  the 
upper  world,  but  she  made  no  answer. 

Many  an  evening  she  rose  to  the  place  where  she  had  left 
the  prince.  She  saw  the  snow  on  the  mountains  melt,  the 
fruits  in  the  garden  ripen  and  gathered,  but  the  prince  she 
never  saw,  so  she  always  returned  sorrowfully  to  her  sub- 
terranean abode.  Her  only  pleasure  was  to  sit  in  her  little 
garden  gazing  on  the  beautiful  statue  so  like  the  prince.  She 
cared  no  longer  for  her  flowers ;  they  grew  up  in  wild 
luxuriance,  covered  the  steps,  and  entwined  their  long  stems 
and  tendrils  among  the  boughs  of  the  trees,  so  that  her  whole 
garden  became  a  bower. 

At  last,  being  unable  to  conceal  her  sorrow  any  longer,  she 
revealed  the  secret  to  one  of  her  sisters,  who  told  it  to  the  other 
princesses,  and  they  to  some  of  their  friends.  Among  them 
was  a  young  mermaid  who  recollected  the  prince,  having  been 
an  eye-witness  herself  to  the  festivities  in  the  ship  ;  she  knew 
also  in  what  country  the  prince  lived,  and  the  name  of  its 
king. 

4  Come,  little  sister ! '  said  the  princesses,  and  embracing 
her,  they  rose  together  arm  in  arm,  out  of  the  water,  just  in 
front  of  the  prince's  palace. 

This  palace  was  built  of  bright  yellow  stones,  a  flight  of 
white  marble  steps  led  from  it  down  to  the  sea.  A  gilded 
cupola  crowned  the  building,  and  white  marble  figures,  which 
might  almost  have  been  taken  for  real  men  and  women,  were 
placed  among  the  pillars  surrounding  it.  Through  the  clear 
glass  of  the  high  windows  one  might  look  into  magnificent 
apartments  hung  with  silken  curtains,  the  walls  adorned  with 
magnificent  paintings.  It  was  a  real  treat  to  the  little  royal 
mermaids  to  behold  so  splendid  an  abode  ;  they  gazed  through 
the  windows  of  one  of  the  largest  rooms,  and  in  the  centre  saw 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

a  fountain  playing,  whose  waters  sprang  up  so  high  as  to  reach 
the  glittering  cupola  above,  through  which  the  sunbeams  fell 
dancing  on  the  water,  and  brightening  the  pretty  plants  which 
grew  around  it. 

The  little  mermaid  now  knew  where  her  beloved  prince 
dwelt,  and  henceforth  she  went  there  almost  every  evening. 
She  often  approached  nearer  the  land  than  her  sisters  had 
ventured,  and  even  swam  up  the  narrow  channel  that  flowed 
under  the  marble  balcony.  Here  on  a  bright  moonlight  night, 
she  would  watch  the  young  prince,  who  believed  himself  alone. 

Sometimes  she  saw  him  sailing  on  the  water  in  a  gaily 
painted  boat  with  many  coloured  flags  waving  above.  She 
would  then  hide  among  the  green  reeds  which  grew  on  the 
banks,  listening  to  his  voice,  and  if  any  one  in  the  boat  noticed 
the  rustling  of  her  long  silver  veil,  which  was  caught  now  and 
then  by  the  light  breeze,  they  only  fancied  it  was  a  swan 
flapping  his  wings. 

Many  a  night  when  the  fishermen  were  casting  their  nets 
by  the  beacon's  light,  she  heard  them  talking  of  the  prince, 
and  relating  the  noble  actions  he  had  performed.  She  was  then 
so  happy,  thinking  how  she  had  saved  his  life  when  struggling 
with  the  waves,  and  remembering  how  his  head  had  rested  on 
her  bosom,  and  how  she  had  kissed  him  when  he  knew  nothing 
of  it,  and  could  never  even  dream  of  such  a  thing. 

Human  beings  became  more  and  more  dear  to  her  every  day ; 
she  wished  that  she  were  one  of  them.  Their  world  seemed  to 
her  much  larger  than  that  of  the  mer-people  ;  they  could  fly 
over  the  ocean  in  their  ships,  as  well  as  climb  to  the  summits 
of  those  high  mountains  that  rose  above  the  clouds  ;  and  their 
wooded  domains  extended  much  farther  than  a  mermaid's 
eye  could  penetrate. 

There  were  many  things  that  she  wished  to  hear  explained, 
K  145 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

but  her  sisters  could  not  give  her  any  satisfactory  answer ; 
she  was  again  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the  old  queen-mother, 
who  knew  a  great  deal  about  the  upper  world,  which  she  used 
to  call 4  the  country  above  the  sea.' 

4  Do  men  when  they  are  not  drowned  live  for  ever  ?  '  she 
asked  one  day.  '  Do  they  not  die  as  we  do,  who  live  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea  ?  ' 

'  Yes,'  was  the  grandmother's  reply,  4  they  must  die  like 
us,  and  their  life  is  much  shorter  than  ours.  We  live  to  the 
age  of  three  hundred  years,  but  when  we  die,  we  become  foam 
on  the  sea,  and  are  not  allowed  even  to  share  a  grave  among 
those  that  are  dear  to  us.  We  have  no  immortal  souls,  we  can 
never  live  again,  and  are  like  the  grass  which,  when  once  cut 
down,  is  withered  for  ever.  Human  beings,  on  the  contrary, 
have  souls  that  continue  to  live  when  their  bodies  become  dust, 
and  as  we  rise  out  of  the  water  to  admire  the  abode  of  man, 
they  ascend  to  glorious  unknown  dwellings  in  the  skies  which 
we  are  not  permitted  to  see.' 

4  Why  have  not  we  immortal  souls  ?  '  asked  the  little 
mermaid.  '  I  would  willingly  give  up  my  three  hundred  years 
to  be  a  human  being  for  only  one  day,  thus  to  become  entitled 
to  that  heavenly  world  above.' 

'  You  must  not  think  of  that,'  answered  her  grandmother, 
*  it  is  much  better  as  it  is  ;  we  live  longer  and  are  far  happier 
than  human  beings.' 

4  So  I  must  die,  and  be  dashed  like  foam  over  the  sea,  never 
to  rise  again  and  hear  the  gentle  murmur  of  the  ocean,  never 
again  see  the  beautiful  flowers  and  the  bright  sun  !  Tell  me, 
dear  grandmother,  are  there  no  means  by  which  I  may  obtain 
an  immortal  soul  ?  ' 

4  No  ! '  replied  the  old  lady.  4  It  is  true  that  if  thou 
couldst  so  win  the  affections  of  a  human  being  as  to  become 
146 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

dearer  to  him  than  either  father  or  mother ;  if  he  loved  thee 
with  all  his  heart,  and  promised  whilst  the  priest  joined  his 
hands  with  thine  to  be  always  faithful  to  thee ;  then  his  soul 
would  flow  into  thine,  and  thou  wouldst  then  become  partaker 
of  human  bliss.  But  that  can  never  be  !  for  what  in  our  eyes 
is  the  most  beautiful  part  of  our  body,  the  tail,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  think  hideous,  they  cannot  bear  it.  To  appear 
handsome  to  them,  the  body  must  have  two  clumsy  props 
which  they  call  legs.' 

The  little  mermaid  sighed  and  looked  mournfully  at  the 
scaly  part  of  her  form,  otherwise  so  fair  and  delicate. 

'  We  are  happy,'  added  the  old  lady,  '  we  shall  jump  and 
swim  about  merrily  for  three  hundred  years ;  that  is  a  long 
time,  and  afterwards  we  shall  repose  peacefully  in  death. 
This  evening  we  have  a  court  ball.' 

The  ball  which  the  queen-mother  spoke  of  was  far  more 
splendid  than  any  that  earth  has  ever  seen.  The  walls  of  the 
saloon  were  of  crystal,  very  thick,  but  yet  very  clear  ;  hundreds 
of  large  mussel-shells  were  planted  in  rows  along  them  ;  these 
shells  were  some  of  rose-colour,  some  green  as  grass,  but  all 
sending  forth  a  bright  light,  which  not  only  illuminated  the 
whole  apartment,  but  also  shone  through  the  glassy  walls  so 
as  to  light  up  the  waters  around  for  a  great  space,  and  making 
the  scales  of  the  numberless  fishes,  great  and  small,  crimson 
and  purple,  silver  and  gold-coloured,  appear  more  brilliant  than 
ever. 

Through  the  centre  of  the  saloon  flowed  a  bright,  clear 
stream,  on  the  surface  of  which  danced  mermen  and  mermaids 
to  the  melody  of  their  own  sweet  voices,  voices  far  sweeter 
than  those  of  the  dwellers  upon  earth.  The  little  princess  sang 
more  harmoniously  than  any  other,  and  they  clapped  their 
hands  and  applauded  her.  She  was  pleased  at  this,  for  she 

147 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 


knew  well  that  there  was  neither  on  earth  or  in  the  sea  a  more 
beautiful  voice  than  hers.  But  her  thoughts  soon  returned  to 
the  world  above  her  :  she  could  not  forget  the  handsome 

prince ;  she  could  not  control 
her  sorrow  at  not  having  an  im- 
mortal soul.  She  stole  away  from 
her  father's  palace,  and  whilst  all 
was  joy  within,  she  sat  alone  lost 
in  thought  in  her  little  neglected 
garden.  On  a  sudden  she  heard 
the  tones  of  horns  resounding 
over  the  water  far  away  in  the 
distance,  and  she  said  to  herself, 
4  Now  he  is  going  out  to  hunt,  he 
whom  I  love  more  than  my  father 
and  my  mother,  with  whom  my 
thoughts  are  constantly  occupied, 
and  to  whom  I  would  so  willingly 
trust  the  happiness  of  my  life  ! 
All !  all,  will  I  risk  to  win  him— 
and  an  immortal  soul !  Whilst 
my  sisters  are  still  dancing  in 
the  palace,  I  will  go  to  the  en- 
chantress whom  I  have  hitherto 
feared  so  much,  but  who  is,  never- 
theless, the  only  person  who  can 
advise  and  help  me.' 

So  the  little  mermaid  left  the  garden,  and  went  to  the  foam- 
ing whirlpool  beyond  which  dwelt  the  enchantress.  She  had 
never  been  this  way  before — neither  flowers  nor  sea-grass 
bloomed  along  her  path  ;  she  had  to  traverse  an  extent  of  bare 
grey  sand  till  she  reached  the  whirlpool,  whose  waters  were 
148 


THEY  ATE  FROM  THEIR  HANDS 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

eddying  and  whizzing  like  mill-wheels,  tearing  everything 
they  could  seize  along  with  them  into  the  abyss  below.  She 
was  obliged  to  make  her  way  through  this  horrible  place,  in 
order  to  arrive  at  the  territory  of  the  enchantress.  Then  she 
had  to  pass  through  a  boiling,  slimy  bog,  which  the  enchantress 
called  her  turf-moor  :  her  house  stood  in  a  wood  beyond  this, 
and  a  strange  abode  it  was.  All  the  trees  and  bushes  around 
were  polypi,  looking  like  hundred-headed  serpents  shooting 
up  out  of  the  ground ;  their  branches  were  long  slimy  arms 
with  fingers  of  worms,  every  member,  from  the  root  to  the 
uttermost  tip,  ceaselessly  moving  and  extending  on  all  sides. 
Whatever  they  seized  they  fastened  upon  so  that  it  could  not 
loosen  itself  from  their  grasp.  The  little  mermaid  stood  still 
for  a  minute  looking  at  this  horrible  wood  ;  her  heart  beat 
with  fear,  and  she  would  certainly  have  returned  without 
attaining  her  object,  had  she  not  remembered  the  prince — 
and  immortality.  The  thought  gave  her  new  courage,  she 
bound  up  her  long  waving  hair,  that  the  polypi  might  not  catch 
hold  of  it,  crossed  her  delicate  arms  over  her  bosom,  and, 
swifter  than  a  fish  can  glide  through  the  water,  she  passed 
these  unseemly  trees,  who  stretched  their  eager  arms  after  her 
in  vain.  She  could  not,  however,  help  seeing  that  every 
polypus  had  something  in  his  grasp,  held  as  firmly  by  a 
thousand  little  arms  as  if  enclosed  by  iron  bands.  The 
whitened  skeletons  of  a  number  of  human  beings  who  had  been 
drowned  in  the  sea,  and  had  sunk  into  the  abyss,  grinned 
horribly  from  the  arms  of  these  polypi ;  helms,  chests,  skeletons 
of  land  animals  were  also  held  in  their  embrace  ;  among  other 
things  might  be  seen  even  a  little  mermaid  whom  they  had 
seized  and  strangled  !  What  a  fearful  sight  for  the  unfortunate 
princess  ! 

But  she  got  safely  through  this  wood  of  horrors,  and  then 

149 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

arrived  at  a  slimy  place,  where  immense,  fat  snails  were  crawl- 
ing about,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  place  stood  a  house  built 
of  the  bones  of  unfortunate  people  who  had  been  shipwrecked. 
Here  sat  the  witch  caressing  a  toad  in  the  same  manner  as 
some  persons  would  a  pet  bird.  The  ugly  fat  snails  she 
called  her  chickens,  and  she  permitted  them  to  crawl 
about  her. 

'  I  know  well  what  you  would  ask  of  me,'  said  she  to  the 
little  princess.  '  Your  wish  is  foolish  enough,  yet  it  shall  be 
fulfilled,  though  its  accomplishment  is  sure  to  bring  misfortune 
on  you,  my  fairest  princess.  You  wish  to  get  rid  of  your  tail, 
and  to  have  instead  two  stilts  like  those  of  human  beings,  in 
order  that  a  young  prince  may  fall  in  love  with  you,  and  that 
you  may  obtain  an  immortal  soul.  Is  it  not  so  ?  '  Whilst 
the  witch  spoke  these  words,  she  laughed  so  violently  that  her 
pet  toad  and  snails  fell  from  her  lap.  '  You  come  just  at  the 
right  time,'  continued  she  ;  '  had  you  come  after  sunset,  it 
would  not  have  been  in  my  power  to  have  helped  you  before 
another  year.  I  will  prepare  for  you  a  drink  with  which  you 
must  swim  to  land,  you  must  sit  down  upon  the  shore  and 
swallow  it,  and  then  your  tail  will  fall  and  shrink  up  to  the 
things  which  men  call  legs.  This  transformation  will,  however, 
be  very  painful ;  you  will  feel  as  though  a  sharp  knife  passed 
through  your  body.  All  who  look  on  you  after  you  have  been 
thus  changed  will  say  that  you  are  the  loveliest  child  of  earth 
they  have  ever  seen  ;  you  will  retain  your  peculiar  undulating 
movements,  and  no  dancer  will  move  so  lightly,  but  every  step 
you  take  will  cause  you  pain  all  but  unbearable  ;  it  will  seem 
to  you  as  though  you  were  walking  on  the  sharp  edges  of  swords, 
and  your  blood  will  flow.  Can  you  endure  all  this  suffering  ? 
If  so,  I  will  grant  your  request.' 

4  Yes,  I  will,'  answered  the  princess,  with  a  faltering  voice  ; 
150 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

for  she  remembered  her  dear  prince,  and  the  immortal  soul 
which  her  suffering  might  win. 

4  Only  consider,'  said  the  witch,  '  that  you  can  never  again 
become  a  mermaid,  when  once  you  have  received  a  human 
form.  You  may  never  return  to  your  sisters,  and  your  father's 
palace ;  and  unless  you  shall  win  the  prince's  love  to  such  a 
degree  that  he  shall  leave  father  and  mother  for  you,  that  you 
shall  be  mixed  up  with  all  his  thoughts  and  wishes,  and  unless 
the  priest  join  your  hands,  so  that  you  become  man  and  wife, 
you  will  never  obtain  the  immortality  you  seek.  The  morrow 
of  the  day  on  which  he  is  united  to  another  will  see  your  death  ; 
your  heart  will  break  with  sorrow,  and  you  will  be  changed  to 
foam  on  the  sea.' 

4  Still  I  will  venture  !  '  said  the  little  mermaid,  pale  and 
trembling  as  a  dying  person. 

'  Besides  all  this,  I  must  be  paid,  and  it  is  no  slight  thing 
that  I  require  for  my  trouble.  Thou  hast  the  sweetest  voice 
of  all  the  dwellers  in  the  sea,  and  thou  thinkest  by  its  means 
to  charm  the  prince ;  this  voice,  however,  I  demand  as  my 
recompense.  The  best  thing  thou  possessest  I  require  in 
exchange  for  my  magic  drink  ;  for  I  shall  be  obliged  to  sacrifice 
my  own  blood,  in  order  to  give  it  the  sharpness  of  a  two-edged 
sword.' 

'  But  if  you  take  my  voice  from  me,'  said  the  princess,  'what 
have  I  left  with  which  to  charm  the  prince  ?  ' 

4  Thy  graceful  form,'  replied  the  witch,  '  thy  modest  gait, 
and  speaking  eyes.  With  such  as  these,  it  will  be  easy  to 
infatuate  a  vain  human  heart.  Well  now  !  hast  thou  lost 
courage  ?  Put  out  thy  little  tongue,  that  I  may  cut  it  off, 
and  take  it  for  myself,  in  return  for  my  magic  drink.' 

4  Be  it  so  !'  said  the  princess,  and  the  witch  took  up  her 
caldron,  in  order  to  mix  her  potion.  4  Cleanliness  is  a  good 

151 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

thing,'  remarked  she,  as  she  began  to  rub  the  caldron  with  a 
handful  of  toads  and  snails.  She  then  scratched  her  bosom, 
and  let  the  black  blood  trickle  down  into  the  caldron,  every 
moment  throwing  in  new  ingredients,  the  smoke  from  the 
mixture  assuming  such  horrible  forms,  as  were  enough  to  fill 
beholders  with  terror,  and  a  moaning  and  groaning  proceeding 
from  it,  which  might  be  compared  to  the  weeping  of  crocodiles. 
The  magic  drink  at  length  became  clear  and  transparent  as 
pure  water  ;  it  was  ready. 

'  Here  it  is  ! '  said  the  witch  to  the  princess,  cutting  out  her 
tongue  at  the  same  moment.  The  poor  little  mermaid  was  now 
dumb  :  she  could  neither  sing  nor  speak. 

4  If  the  polypi  should  attempt  to  seize  you,  as  you  pass 
through  my  little  grove,'  said  the  witch,  '  you  have  only  to 
sprinkle  some  of  this  magic  drink  over  them,  and  their  arms 
will  burst  into  a  thousand  pieces.'  But  the  princess  had  no 
need  of  this  counsel,  for  the  polypi  drew  hastily  back,  as  soon 
as  they  perceived  the  bright  phial,  that  glittered  in  her  hand 
like  a  star ;  thus  she  passed  safely  through  the  formidable 
wood  over  the  moor,  and  across  the  foaming  mill-stream. 

She  now  looked  once  again  at  her  father's  palace  ;  the  lamps 
in  the  saloon  were  extinguished,  and  all  the  family  were  asleep. 
She  would  not  go  in,  for  she  could  not  speak  if  she  did  ;  she  was 
about  to  leave  her  home  for  ever  ;  her  heart  was  ready  to  break 
with  sorrow  at  the  thought ;  she  stole  into  the  garden,  plucked 
a  flower  from  the  bed  of  each  of  her  sisters  as  a  remembrance, 
kissed  her  hand  again  and  again,  and  then  rose  through  the 
dark  blue  waters  to  the  world  above. 

The  sun  had  not  yet  risen  when  she  arrived  at  the  prince's 

dwelling,  and  ascended  those  well-known  marble  steps.     The 

moon  still  shone  in  the  sky  when  the  little  mermaid  drank  off 

the  wonderful  liquid  contained  in  her  phial.    She  felt  it  run 

152 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

through  her  like  a  sharp  knife,  and  she  fell  down  in  a  swoon. 
When  the  sun  rose,  she  awoke  ;  and  felt  a  burning  pain  in  all 
her  limbs,  but — she  saw  standing  close  to  her  the  object  of  her 
love,  the  handsome  young  prince,  whose  coal-black  eyes  were 
fixed  inquiringly  upon  her.  Full  of  shame  she  cast  down  her 
own,  and  perceived,  instead  of  the  long  fish-like  tail  she  had 
hitherto  borne,  two  slender  legs  ;  but  she  was  quite  naked, 
and  tried  in  vain  to  cover  herself  with  her  long  thick  hair. 
The  prince  asked  who  she  was,  and  how  she  had  got  there ; 
and  she,  in  reply,  smiled  and  gazed  upon  him  with  her  bright 
blue  eyes,  for  alas  !  she  could  not  speak.  He  then  led  her  by 
the  hand  into  the  palace.  She  found  that  the  witch  had  told 
her  true — she  felt  as  though  she  were  walking  on  the  edges  of 
sharp  swords,  but  she  bore  the  pain  willingly ;  on  she  passed, 
light  as  a  zephyr,  and  all  who  saw  her  wondered  at  her  light, 
undulating  movements. 

When  she  entered  the  palace,  rich  clothes  of  muslin  and  silk 
were  brought  to  her ;  she  was  lovelier  than  all  who  dwelt 
there,  but  she  could  neither  speak  nor  sing.  Some  female 
slaves,  gaily  dressed  in  silk  and  gold  brocade,  sang  before  the 
prince  and  his  royal  parents  ;  and  one  of  them  distinguished 
herself  by  her  clear  sweet  voice,  which  the  prince  applauded 
by  clapping  his  hands.  This  made  the  little  mermaid  very 
sad,  for  she  knew  that  she  used  to  sing  far  better  than  the  young 
slave.  '  Alas  !  '  thought  she,  '  if  he  did  but  know  that,  for  his 
sake,  I  have  given  away  my  voice  for  ever.' 

The  slaves  began  to  dance  ;  our  lovely  little  mermaiden 
then  arose,  stretched  out  her  delicate  white  arms,  and  hovered 
gracefully  about  the  room.  Every  motion  displayed  more 
and  more  the  perfect  symmetry  and  elegance  of  her  figure  ; 
and  the  expression  which  beamed  in  her  speaking  eyes  touched 
the  hearts  of  the  spectators  far  more  than  the  song  of  the  slaves. 

153 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

All  present  were  enchanted,  but  especially  the  young  prince, 
who  called  her  his  dear  little  foundling.  And  she  danced  again 
and  again,  although  every  step  cost  her  excessive  pain.  The 
prince  then  said  she  should  always  be  with  him ;  and  accord- 
ingly a  sleeping-place  was  prepared  for  her  on  velvet  cushions 
in  the  anteroom  of  his  own  apartment. 

The  prince  caused  a  suit  of  male  apparel  to  be  made  for 
her,  in  order  that  she  might  accompany  him  in  his  rides ;  so 
together  they  traversed  the  fragrant  woods,  where  green  boughs 
brushed  against  their  shoulders,  and  the  birds  sang  merrily 
among  the  fresh  leaves.  With  him  she  climbed  up  steep 
mountains,  and  although  her  tender  feet  bled,  so  as  to  be 
remarked  by  the  attendants,  she  only  smiled,  and  followed 
her  dear  prince  to  the  heights,  whence  they  could  see  the 
clouds  chasing  each  other  beneath  them,  like  a  flock  of  birds 
migrating  to  other  countries. 

During  the  night  she  would,  when  all  in  the  palace  were  at 
rest,  walk  down  the  marble  steps,  in  order  to  cool  her  feet  in 
the  deep  waters  ;  she  would  then  think  of  those  beloved  ones 
who  dwelt  in  the  lower  world. 

One  night,  as  she  was  thus  bathing  her  feet,  her  sisters  swam 
together  to  the  spot,  arm  in  arm  and  singing,  but  alas  !  so 
mournfully  !  She  beckoned  to  them,  and  they  immediately 
recognised  her,  and  told  her  how  great  was  the  mourning  in 
her  father's  house  for  her  loss.  From  this  time  the  sisters 
visited  her  every  night ;  and  once  they  brought  with  them  the 
old  grandmother,  who  had  not  seen  the  upper  world  for  a 
great  many  years ;  they  likewise  brought  their  father,  the 
Mer-king,  with  his  crown  on  his  head ;  but  these  two  old 
people  did  not  venture  near  enough  to  land  to  be  able  to  speak 
to  her. 

The  little  mermaiden  became  dearer  and  dearer  to  the 
154 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

prince  every  day ;  but  he  only  looked  upon  her  as  a  sweet, 
gentle  child,  and  the  thought  of  making  her  his  wife  never 
entered  his  head.  And  yet  his  wife  she  must  be,  ere  she  could 
receive  an  immortal  soul ;  his  wife  she  must  be,  or  she  would 
change  into  foam,  and  be  driven  restlessly  over  the  billows  of 
the  sea ! 

'  Dost  thou  not  love  me  above  all  others  ?  '  her  eyes  seemed 
to  ask,  as  he  pressed  her  fondly  in  his  arms,  and  kissed  her 
lovely  brow. 


MANY    AN    EVENING    SHE    ROSE    TO    THE    PLACE 

'  Yes,'  the  prince  would  say,  '  thou  art  dearer  to  me  than 
any  other,  for  no  one  is  as  good  as  thou  art !  Thou  lovest  me 
so  much  ;  and  thou  art  so  like  a  young  maiden  whom  I  have 
seen  but  once,  and  may  never  see  again.  I  was  on  board  a 
ship,  which  was  wrecked  by  a  sudden  tempest ;  the  waves 
threw  me  on  the  shore,  near  a  holy  temple,  where  a  number  of 
young  girls  are  occupied  constantly  with  religious  services. 
The  youngest  of  them  found  me  on  the  shore,  and  saved  my 
life.  I  saw  her  only  once,  but  her  image  is  vividly  impressed 
upon  my  memory,  and  her  alone  can  I  love.  But  she  belongs 
to  the  holy  temple  ;  and  thou  who  resemblest  her  so  much  hast 
been  given  to  me  for  consolation  ;  never  will  we  be  parted  ! ' 

155 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  Alas  !  he  does  not  know  that  it  was  I  who  saved  his  life,' 
thought  the  little  mermaiden,  sighing  deeply  ;  '  I  bore  him 
over  the  wild  waves,  into  the  wooded  bay,  where  the  holy 
temple  stood ;  I  sat  behind  the  rocks,  waiting  till  some  one 
should  come.  I  saw  the  pretty  maiden  approach,  whom  he 
loves  more  than  me,' — and  again  she  heaved  a  deep  sigh,  for 
she  could  not  weep.  '  He  said  that  the  young  girl  belongs  to  the 
holy  temple  ;  she  never  comes  out  into  the  world,  so  they 
cannot  meet  each  other  again, — and  I  am  always  with  him, 
see  him  daily ;  I  will  love  him,  and  devote  my  whole  life  to 
him.' 

'  So  the  prince  is  going  to  be  married  to  the  beautiful 
daughter  of  the  neighbouring  king,'  said  the  courtiers,  '  that  is 
why  he  is  having  that  splendid  ship  fitted  out.  It  is  announced 
that  he  wishes  to  travel,  but  in  reality  he  goes  to  see  the 
princess ;  a  numerous  retinue  will  accompany  him.'  The 
little  mermaiden  smiled  at  these  and  similar  conjectures,  for 
she  knew  the  prince's  intentions  better  than  any  one  else. 

'  I  must  go,'  he  said  to  her,  '  I  must  see  the  beautiful 
princess  ;  my  parents  require  me  to  do  so  ;  but  they  will  not 
compel  me  to  marry  her,  and  bring  her  home  as  my  bride. 
And  it  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  love  her,  for  she  cannot  be 
so  like  the  beautiful  girl  in  the  temple  as  thou  art ;  and  if  I 
were  obliged  to  choose,  I  should  prefer  thee,  my  little  silent 
foundling,  with  the  speaking  eyes.'  And  he  kissed  her  rosy 
lips,  played  with  her  locks,  and  folded  her  in  his  arms,  where- 
upon arose  in  her  heart  a  sweet  vision  of  human  happiness, 
and  immortal  bliss. 

4  Thou  art  not  afraid  of  the  sea,  art  thou,  my  sweet  silent 

child  ?  '   asked  he  tenderly,   as  they  stood  together  in  the 

splendid  ship,  which  was  to  take  them  to  the  country  of  the 

neighbouring  king.     And  then  he  told  her  of  the  storms  that 

156 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

sometimes  agitate  the  waters  ;  of  the  strange  fishes  that  inhabit 
the  deep,  and  of  the  wonderful  things  seen  by  divers.  But  she 
smiled  at  his  words,  for  she  knew  better  than  any  child  of  earth 
what  went  on  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 

At  night-time,  when  the  moon  shone  brightly,  and  when  all 
on  board  were  fast  asleep,  she  sat  in  the  ship's  gallery,  looking 
down  into  the  sea.  It  seemed  to  her,  as  she  gazed  through  the 
foamy  track  made  by  the  ship's  keel,  that  she  saw  her  father's 
palace,  and  her  grandmother's  silver  crown.  She  then  saw 
her  sisters  rise  out  of  the  water,  looking  sorrowful  and  stretch- 
ing out  their  hands  towards  her.  She  nodded  to  them,  smiled, 
and  would  have  explained  that  everything  was  going  on  quite 
according  to  her  wishes ;  but  just  then  the  cabin  boy 
approached,  upon  which  the  sisters  plunged  beneath  the 
water  so  suddenly  that  the  boy  thought  what  he  had  seen  on 
the  waves  was  nothing  but  foam. 

The  next  morning  the  ship  entered  the  harbour  of  the  king's 
splendid  capital.  Bells  were  rung,  trumpets  sounded,  and 
soldiers  marched  in  procession  through  the  city,  with  waving 
banners,  and  glittering  bayonets.  Every  day  witnessed  some 
new  entertainments,  balls  and  parties  followed  each  other ; 
the  princess,  however,  was  not  yet  in  the  town  ;  she  had  been 
sent  to  a  distant  convent  for  education,  and  had  there  been 
taught  the  practice  of  all  royal  virtues.  At  last  she  arrived  at 
the  palace. 

The  little  mermaid  had  been  anxious  to  see  this  unparalleled 
princess ;  and  she  was  now  obliged  to  confess  that  she  had 
never  before  seen  so  beautiful  a  creature. 

The  skin  of  the  princess  was  so  white  and  delicate  that  the 
veins  might  be  seen  through  it,  and  her  dark  eyes  sparkled 
beneath  a  pair  of  finely  formed  eye-brows. 

4  It  is  herself ! '  exclaimed  the  prince,  when  they  met,  '  it 

157 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

is  she  who  saved  my  life,  when  I  lay  like  a  corpse  on  the  sea- 
shore !  '  and  he  pressed  his  blushing  bride  to  his  beating  heart. 

4  Oh,  I  am  all  too  happy  ! '  said  he  to  his  dumb  foundling. 
4  What  I  never  dared  to  hope  for  has  come  to  pass.  Thou 
must  rejoice  in  my  happiness,  for  thou  lovest  me  more  than  all 
others  who  surround  me.' — And  the  little  mermaid  kissed  his 
hand  in  silent  sorrow ;  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  her  heart  was 
breaking  already,  although  the  morrow  of  his  marriage-day, 
which  must  inevitably  see  her  death,  had  not  yet  dawned. 

Again  rung  the  church-bells,  whilst  heralds  rode  through 
the  streets  of  the  capital,  to  announce  the  approaching  bridal. 
Odorous  flames  burned  in  silver  candlesticks  on  all  the  altars  ; 
the  priests  swung  their  golden  censers ;  and  bride  and  bride- 
groom joined  hands,  whilst  the  holy  words  that  united  them 
were  spoken.  The  little  mermaid,  clad  in  silk  and  cloth  of 
gold,  stood  behind  the  princess,  and  held  the  train  of  the  bridal 
dress ;  but  her  ear  heard  nothing  of  the  solemn  music ;  her 
eye  saw  not  the  holy  ceremony  ;  she  remembered  her  approach- 
ing end,  she  remembered  that  she  had  lost  both  this  world  and 
the  next. 

That  very  same  evening  bride  and  bridegroom  went  on 
board  the  ship ;  cannons  were  fired,  flags  waved  with  the 
breeze,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  deck  stood  a  magnificent 
pavilion  of  purple  and  cloth  of  gold,  fitted  up  with  the  richest 
and  softest  couches.  Here  the  princely  pair  were  to  spend  the 
night.  A  favourable  wind  swelled  the  sails,  and  the  ship 
glided  lightly  over  the  blue  waters. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  coloured  lamps  were  hung  out  and 
dancing  began  on  the  deck.  The  little  mermaid  was  thus 
involuntarily  reminded  of  what  she  had  seen  the  first  time  she 
rose  to  the  upper  world.  The  spectacle  that  now  presented 
itself  was  equally  splendid — and  she  was  obliged  to  join  in  the 
158 


WHEN    THE    SUN    AROSE    SHE    AWOKE 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

dance,  hovering  lightly  as  a  bird  over  the  ship  boards.  All 
applauded  her,  for  never  had  she  danced  with  more  enchanting 
grace.  Her  little  feet  suffered  extremely,  but  she  no  longer 
felt  the  pain  ;  the  anguish  her  heart  suffered  was  much  greater. 
It  was  the  last  evening  she  might  see  him,  for  whose  sake  she 
had  forsaken  her  home  and  all  her  family,  had  given  away 
her  beautiful  voice,  and  suffered  daily  the  most  violent  pain — 
all  without  his  having  the  least  suspicion  of  it.  It  was  the 
last  evening  that  she  might  breathe  the  same  atmosphere  in 
which  he,  the  beloved  one,  lived ;  the  last  evening  when  she 
might  behold  the  deep  blue  sea,  and  the  starry  heavens — an 
eternal  night,  in  which  she  might  neither  think  nor  dream, 
awaited  her.  And  all  was  joy  in  the  ship  ;  and  she,  her  heart 
filled  with  thoughts  of  death  and  annihilation,  smiled  and 
danced  with  the  others,  till  past  midnight.  Then  the  prince 
kissed  his  lovely  bride,  and  arm  in  arm  they  entered  the 
magnificent  tent  prepared  for  their  repose. 

All  was  now  still ;  the  steersman  alone  stood  at  the  ship's 
helm.  The  little  mermaid  leaned  her  white  arms  on  the  gallery, 
and  looked  towards  the  east,  watching  for  the  dawn  ;  she  well 
knew  that  the  first  sunbeam  would  witness  her  dissolution. 
She  saw  her  sisters  rise  out  of  the  sea  ;  deadly  pale  were  their 
features ;  and  their  long  hair  no  more  fluttered  over  their 
shoulders,  it  had  all  been  cut  off. 

'  We  have  given  it  to  the  witch,'  said  they,  '  to  induce  her 
to  help  thee,  so  that  thou  mayest  not  die.  She  has  given  to 
us  a  penknife  :  here  it  is  !  Before  the  sun  rises,  thou  must 
plunge  it  into  the  prince's  heart ;  and  when  his  warm  blood 
trickles  down  upon  thy  feet  they  will  again  be  changed  to  a 
fish-like  tail ;  thou  wilt  once  more  become  a  mermaid,  and 
wilt  live  thy  full  three  hundred  years,  ere  thou  changest  to 
foam  on  the  sea.  But  hasten  !  either  he  or  thou  must  die 
160 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

before  sunrise.  Our  aged  mother  mourns  for  thee  so  much 
her  grey  hair  has  fallen  off  through  sorrow,  as  ours  fell  before 
the  scissors  of  the  witch.  Kill  the  prince,  and  come  down  to 
us !  Hasten !  hasten !  dost  thou  not  see  the  red  streaks 
on  the  eastern  sky,  announcing  the  near  approach  of  the 
sun  ?  A  few  minutes  more  and  he  rises,  and  then  all  will  be 
over  with  thee.'  At  these  words  they  sighed  deeply  and 
vanished. 

The  little  mermaid  drew  aside  the  purple  curtains  of  the 
pavilion,  where  lay  the  bride  and  bridegroom  ;  bending  over 
them,  she  kissed  the  prince's  forehead,  and  then  glancing  at 
the  sky,  she  saw  that  the  dawning  light  became  every  moment 
brighter.  The  prince's  lips  unconsciously  murmured  the  name 
of  his  bride — he  was  dreaming  of  her,  and  her  only,  whilst  the 
fatal  penknife  trembled  in  the  hand  of  the  unhappy  mermaid. 
All  at  once,  she  threw  far  out  into  the  sea  that  instrument  of 
death ;  the  waves  rose  like  bright  blazing  flames  around,  and 
the  water  where  it  fell  seemed  tinged  with  blood.  With  eyes 
fast  becoming  dim  and  fixed,  she  looked  once  more  at  her 
beloved  prince ;  then  plunged  from  the  ship  into  the  sea,  and 
felt  her  body  slowly  but  surely  dissolving  into  foam. 

The  sun  rose  from  his  watery  bed  ;  his  beams  fell  so  softly 
and  warmly  upon  her,  that  our  little  mermaid  was  scarcely 
sensible  of  dying.  She  still  saw  the  glorious  sun ;  and  over 
her  head  hovered  a  thousand  beautiful,  transparent  forms  ;  she 
could  still  distinguish  the  white  sails  of  the  ship,  and  the  bright 
red  clouds  in  the  sky  ;  the  voices  of  those  airy  creatures  above 
her  had  a  melody  so  sweet  and  soothing,  that  a  human  ear 
would  be  as  little  able  to  catch  the  sound  as  her  eye  was  capable 
of  distinguishing  their  forms ;  they  hovered  around  her  with- 
out wings,  borne  by  their  own  lightness  through  the  air.  The 
little  mermaid  at  last  saw  that  she  had  a  body  as  transparent 
L  161 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

as  theirs  ;    and  felt  herself  raised  gradually  from  the  foam  of 
the  sea  to  higher  regions. 

'  Where  are  they  taking  me  ?  '  asked  she,  and  her  words 
sounded  just  like  the  voices  of  those  heavenly  beings. 

'  Speak  you  to  the  daughters  of  air  ?  '  was  the  answer. 
'  The  mermaid  has  no  immortal  soul,  and  can  only  acquire 
that  heavenly  gift  by  winning  the  love  of  one  of  the  sons  of 
men  ;  her  immortality  depends  upon  union  with  man.  Neither 
do  the  daughters  of  air  possess  immortal  souls,  but  they  can 
acquire  them  by  their  own  good  deeds.  We  fly  to  hot  countries, 
where  the  children  of  earth  are  sinking  under  sultry  pestilential 
breezes — our  fresh  cooling  breath  revives  them.  We  diffuse 
ourselves  through  the  atmosphere  ;  we  perfume  it  with  the 
delicious  fragrance  of  flowers  ;  and  thus  spread  delight  and 
health  over  the  earth.  By  doing  good  in  this  manner  for  three 
hundred  years,  we  win  immortality,  and  receive  a  share  of 
the  eternal  bliss  of  human  beings.  And  thou,  poor  little 
mermaid  !  who,  following  the  impulse  of  thine  own  heart, 
hast  done  and  suffered  so  much,  thou  art  now  raised  to  the 
airy  world  of  spirits,  that  by  performing  deeds  of  kindness 
for  three  hundred  years,  thou  mayest  acquire  an  immortal 
soul.' 

The  little  mermaid  stretched  out  her  transparent  arms  to 
the  sun  ;  and,  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  tears  moistened  her 
eyes. 

And  now  again  all  were  awake  and  rejoicing  in  the  ship  ; 
she  saw  the  prince,  with  his  pretty  bride ;  they  had  missed 
her ;  they  looked  sorrowfully  down  on  the  foamy  waters,  as 
if  they  knew  she  had  plunged  into  the  sea ;  unseen  she  kissed 
the  bridegroom's  forehead,  smiled  upon  him,  and  then,  with 
the  rest  of  the  Children  of  air,  soared  high  above  the  rosy  cloud 
which  was  sailing  so  peacefully  over  the  ship. 
162 


With  the  rest  of  the  children  of  air,  soared  high  above  the  rosy  cloud 


THE  LITTLE  MERMAID 

'  After  three  hundred  years  we  shall  fly  in  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven  ! ' 

4  We  may  arrive  there  even  sooner,'  whispered  one  of  her 
sisters.  '  We  fly  invisibly  through  the  dwellings  of  men,  where 
there  are  children  ;  and  whenever  we  find  a  good  child,  who 
gives  pleasure  to  his  parents  and  deserves  their  love,  the  good 
God  shortens  our  time  of  probation.  No  child  is  aware  that 
we  are  flitting  about  his  room,  and  that  whenever  joy  draws 
from  us  a  smile,  a  year  is  struck  out  of  our  three  hundred. 
But  when  we  see  a  rude  naughty  child,  we  weep  bitter  tears  of 
sorrow,  and  every  tear  we  shed  adds  a  day  to  our  time  of 
probation.' 


163 


FATHER-STORK 


THE   STORKS 

ON  the  roof  of  a  house  situated  at  the  extremity  of  a 
small  town,  a  stork  had  built  his  nest.  There  sat 
the  mother-stork,  with  her  four  young  ones,  who  all 
stretched  out  their  little  black  bills,  which  had  not  yet  become 
red.  Not  far  off,  upon  the  parapet,  erect  and  proud,  stood 
the  father-stork  ;  he  had  drawn  one  of  his  legs  under  him,  being 
weary  of  standing  on  two.  You  might  have  fancied  him 
carved  in  wood,  he  stood  so  motionless.  '  It  looks  so  grand,' 
thought  he,  '  for  my  wife  to  have  a  sentinel  to  keep  guard  over 
her  nest ;  people  cannot  know  that  I  am  her  husband,  they  will 
certainly  think  that  I  am  commanded  to  stand  here — how  well 
it  looks  !  '  and  so  he  remained  standing  on  one  leg. 

In  the  street  below,  a  number  of  children  were  playing 
together.  When  they  saw  the  storks,  one  of  the  liveliest 
amongst  them  began  to  sing  as  much  as  he  could  remember  of 
some  old  rhymes  about  storks,  in  which  he  was  soon  joined  by 

the  others — 

*  Stork  !  stork  !  long-legged  stork  ! 
Into  thy  nest  I  prithee  walk ; 
There  sits  thy  mate, 
With  her  four  children  so  great. 
The  first  well  hang  like  a  cat, 
The  second  we  '11  burn, 
The  third  on  a  spit  we'll  turn, 
The  fourth  drown  dead  as  a  rat ! ' 

4  Only  listen  to  what  the  boys  are  singing,'  said  the  little 
storks ;  '  they  say  we  shall  be  hanged  and  burnt !  ' 

165 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  Never  mind,'  said  the  mother,  '  don't  listen  to  them  ;  they 
will  do  you  no  harm.' 

But  the  boys  went  on  singing,  and  pointed  their  fingers  at 
the  storks  :  only  one  little  boy,  called  Peter,  said  '  it  was  a  sin 
to  mock  and  tease  animals,  and  that  he  would  have  nothing  to 
do  with  it.' 

The  mother-stork  again  tried  to  comfort  her  little  ones. 
'  Never  mind,'  said  she  ;  l  see  how  composedly  your  father  is 
standing  there,  and  upon  one  leg  only.' 

'  But  we  are  so  frightened  ! '  said  the  young  ones,  drawing 
their  heads  down  into  the  nest. 

The  next  day,  when  the  children  were  again  assembled  to 
play  together,  and  saw  the  storks,  they  again  began  their 

song — 

'  The  first  we  '11  hang  like  a  cat, 
The  second  we'll  burn  !' 

'  And  are  we  really  to  be  hanged  and  burnt  ?  '  asked  the 
young  storks. 

'  No  indeed  ! '  said  the  mother.  '  You  shall  learn  to  fly  : 
I  will  teach  you  myself.  Then  we  can  fly  over  to  the  meadow, 
and  pay  a  visit  to  the  frogs.  They  will  bow  to  us  in  the  water, 
and  say,  "  Croak,  croak  !  "  and  then  we  shall  eat  them ;  will 
not  that  be  nice  ?  ' 

'  And  what  then  ?  '   asked  the  little  storks. 

4  Then  all  the  storks  in  the  country  will  gather  together, 
and  the  autumnal  exercise  will  begin.  It  is  of  the  greatest 
consequence  that  you  should  fly  well  then ;  for  every  one  who 
does  not,  the  general  will  stab  to  death  with  his  bill ;  so  you 
must  pay  great  attention  when  we  begin  to  drill  you,  and  learn 
very  quickly.' 

4  Then  we  shall  really  be  killed  after  all,  as  the  boys  said  ? 
Oh,  listen  !  they  are  singing  it  again  ! ' 
166 


THE  STORKS 

4  Attend  to  me,  and  not  to  them  ! '  said  the  mother.  '  After 
the  grand  exercise,  we  shall  fly  to  warm  countries,  far,  far  away 
from  here,  over  mountains  and  forests.  We  shall  fly  to  Egypt, 
where  are  the  three-cornered  stone  houses  whose  summits 
reach  the  clouds ;  they  are  called  pyramids,  and  are  older 
than  it  is  possible  for  storks  to  imagine.  There  is  a  river  too, 
which  overflows  its  banks,  so  as  to  make  the  whole  country  like 
a  marsh,  and  we  shall  go  into  the  marsh  and  eat  frogs.' 

4  Oh  !  '  said  the  young  ones. 

4  Yes,  it  is  delightful !  one  does  nothing  but  eat  all  the  day 
long.  And  whilst  we  are  so  comfortable,  in  this  country  not  a 
single  green  leaf  is  left  on  the  trees,  and  it  is  so  cold  that  the 
clouds  are  frozen,  and  fall  down  upon  the  earth  in  little  white 
pieces.' — She  meant  snow,  but  she  could  not  express  herself 
more  clearly. 

4  And  will  the  naughty  boys  be  frozen  to  pieces  too  ?  '  asked 
the  young  storks. 

4  No,  they  will  not  be  frozen  to  pieces  ;  but  they  will  be 
nearly  as  badly  off  as  if  they  were ;  they  will  be  obliged  to 
crowd  round  the  fire  in  their  little  dark  rooms  ;  while  you,  on 
the  contrary,  will  be  flying  about  in  foreign  lands,  where  there 
are  beautiful  flowers  and  warm  sunshine.' 

Well,  time  passed  away,  and  the  young  storks  grew  so  tall, 
that  when  they  stood  upright  in  the  nest  they  could  see  the 
country  around  to  a  great  distance.  The  father-stork  used  to 
bring  them  every  day  the  nicest  little  frogs,  as  well  as  snails, 
and  all  the  other  stork  tit-bits  he  could  find.  Oh  !  it  was  so 
droll  to  see  him  show  them  his  tricks ;  he  would  lay  his  head 
upon  his  tail,  make  a  rattling  noise  with  his  bill,  and  then  tell 
them  such  charming  stories  all  about  the  moors. 

4  Now  you  must  learn  to  fly  ! '  said  the  mother  one  day ; 
and  accordingly,  all  the  four  young  storks  were  obliged  to  come 

167 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

out  upon  the  parapet.  Oh,  how  they  trembled !  And 
though  they  balanced  themselves  on  their  wings,  they  were  very 
near  falling. 

'  Only  look  at  me,'  said  the  mother.  '  This  is  the  way  you 
must  hold  your  heads ;  and  in  this  manner  place  your  feet, — 
one,  two  !  one,  two  !  this  will  help  you  to  get  on.'  She  flew 


'  STORK  !    STORK  !    LONG-LEGGED    STORK  !  ' 

a  little  way,  and  the  young  ones  made  an  awkward  spring  after 
her, — bounce  !   down  they  fell ;  for  their  bodies  were  heavy. 

'  I  will  not  fly,'  said  one  of  the  young  ones,  as  he  crept  back 
into  the  nest.     '  I  do  not  want  to  go  into  the  warm  countries  !  ' 

'  Do  you  want  to  be  frozen  to  death  during  the  winter  ? 
Shall  the  boys  come,  and  hang,  burn,  or  roast  you  ?     Wait  a 
little,  I  will  call  them  !  ' 
168 


THE  STORKS 

4  Oh  no  !  '  said  the  little  stork  ;  and  again  he  began  to  hop 
about  on  the  roof  like  the  others.  By  the  third  day  they  could 
fly  pretty  well,  and  so  they  thought  they  could  also  sit  and  take 
their  ease  in  the  air ;  but  bounce  !  down  they  tumbled,  and 
found  themselves  obliged  to  make  use  of  their  wings.  The 
boys  now  came  into  the  street,  singing  their  favourite  song — 

i  *  Stork  !  stork  !  long-legged  stork  ! ' 

4  Shall  not  we  fly  down  and  peck  out  their  eyes  ?  '  said  the 
young  ones. 

4  No,  leave  them  alone  ! J  said  the  mother.  '  Attend  to  me, 
that  is  of  much  more  importance  ! — one,  two,  three,  now  to  the 
right ! — one,  two,  three,  now  to  the  left,  round  the  chimney- 
pot !  That  was  very  well ;  you  managed  your  wings  so  neatly 
last  time,  that  I  will  permit  you  to  come  with  me  to-morrow 
to  the  marsh  :  several  first-rate  stork  families  will  be  there 
with  their  children.  Let  it  be  said  that  mine  are  the  prettiest 
and  best  behaved  of  all ;  and  remember  to  stand  very  upright, 
and  to  throw  out  your  chest ;  that  looks  well,  and  gives  such 
an  air  of  distinction  !  ' 

4  But  are  we  not  to  take  revenge  upon  those  rude  boys  ?  ' 
asked  the  young  ones. 

4  Let  them  screech  as  much  as  they  please  !  You  will 
fly  among  the  clouds,  you  will  go  to  the  land  of  the  pyramids, 
when  they  must  shiver  with  cold,  and  have  not  a  single  green 
leaf  to  look  at,  nor  a  single  sweet  apple  to  eat !  ' 

4  Yes,  we  shall  be  revenged !  '  whispered  they  one  to 
another.  And  then  they  were  drilled  again. 

Of  all  the  boys  in  the  town,  the  forwardest  in  singing  non- 
sensical verses  was  always  the  same  one  who  had  begun  teasing 
the  storks,  a  little  urchin  not  more  than  six  years  old.  The 
young  storks  indeed  fancied  him  a  hundred  years  old,  because 

169 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 


AND  FETCH  ONE  FOR 
EACH  OF  THE  BOYS 


170 


he  was  bigger  than  either  their  father  or 
mother,  and  what  should  they  know  about  the 
ages  of  children,  or  grown  up  human  beings ! 
All  their  schemes  of  revenge  were  aimed  at 
this  little  boy  ;  he  had  been  the  first  to  tease 
.them,  and  continued  to  do  so.  The  young 
storks  were  highly  excited  about  it,  and  the 
older  they  grew,  the  less  they  were  inclined  to 
endure  persecution.  Their  mother,  in  order  to 
pacify  them,  at  last  promised  that  they  should 
be  revenged,  but  not  until  the  last  day  of  their 
stay  in  this  place. 

4  We  must  first  see  how  you  behave  your- 
selves at  the  grand  exercise ;  if  then  you  should 
fly  badly,  and  the  general  should  thrust  his 
beak  into  your  breast,  the  boys  will,  in  some 
measure,  be  proved  in  the  right.  Let  me  see 
how  well  you  will  behave  ! ' 

4  Yes,  that  you  shall ! '  said  the  young 
ones.  And  now  they  really  took  great  pains, 
practised  every  day,  and  at  last  flew  so  lightly 
and  prettily,  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  see 
them. 

Well,  now  came  the  autumn.  All  the 
storks  assembled,  in  order  to  fly  together  to 
warm  countries  for  the  winter.  What  a  prac- 
tising there  was !  Away  they  went  over 
woods  and  fields,  towns  and  villages,  merely 
to  see  how  well  they  could  fly,  for  they  had 
a  long  journey  before  them.  The  young 
storks  distinguished  themselves  so  honourably 
that  they  were  pronounced  4  worthy  of  frogs 
and  serpents.'  This  was  the  highest  char- 


We  will  bring  him  two  little  ones,  a  brother  and  a  sister 


THE  STORKS 

acter  they  could  obtain  ;  now  they  were  allowed  to  eat  frogs 
and  serpents,  and  accordingly  they  did  eat  them. 

*  Now  we  will  have  our  revenge  ! '  said  they. 

4  Very  well !  '  said  the  mother  ;  '  I  have  been  thinking 
what  will  be  the  best.  I  know  where  the  pool  is  in  which  all 
the  little  human  children  lie  until  the  storks  come  and  take 
them  to  their  parents  :  the  pretty  little  things  sleep  and  dream 
so  pleasantly  as  they  will  never  dream  again.  All  parents  like 
to  have  a  little  child,  and  all  children  like  to  have  a  little  brother 
or  sister.  We  will  fly  to  the  pool  and  fetch  one  for  each  of  the 
boys  who  has  not  sung  that  wicked  song,  nor  made  a  jest  of  the 
storks  ;  and  the  other  naughty  children  shall  have  none.' 

1  But  he  who  first  sung  those  naughty  rhymes  !  that  great 
ugly  fellow  !  what  shall  we  do  to  him  ?  '  cried  the  young 
storks. 

'  In  the  pool  there  lies  a  little  child  who  has  dreamed  away 
his  life ;  we  will  take  it  for  him,  and  he  will  weep  because  he 
has  only  a  little  dead  brother.  But  as  to  the  good  boy  who  said 
it  was  a  sin  to  mock  and  tease  animals,  surely  you  have  not 
forgotten  him  ?  We  will  bring  him  two  little  ones,  a  brother 
and  a  sister.  And  as  this  little  boy's  name  is  Peter,  you  too 
shaU  for  the  future  be  called  "  Peter  !  "  ' 

And  it  came  to  pass  just  as  the  mother  said ;  and  all  the 
storks  were  called  '  Peter,'  and  are  still  so  called  to  this  very 
day. 


171 


'OH!    HOW    PRETTY    THAT    IS  !  '    HE    WOULD    SAY 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

IN  China,  as  you  well  know,  the  Emperor  is  Chinese,  and 
all  around  him  are  Chinese  also.  Now  what  I  am 
about  to  relate  happened  many  years  ago,  but  even 
on  that  very  account  it  is  the  more  important  that  you  should 
hear  the  story  now,  before  it  is  forgotten. 

The  Emperor's  palace  was  the  most  magnificent  palace  in 
the  world  ;  it  was  made  entirely  of  fine  porcelain,  exceedingly 
costly ;  but  at  the  same  time  so  brittle,  that  it  was  dangerous 
even  to  touch  it. 

The  choicest  flowers  were  to  be  seen  in  the  garden  ;  and  to 
the  most  splendid  of  all  these  little  silver  bells  were  fastened, 
in  order  that  their  tinkling  might  prevent  any  one  from  passing 
by  without  noticing  them.  Yes  !  everything  in  the  Emperor's 
garden  was  excellently  well  arranged  ;  and  the  garden  extended 
so  far,  that  even  the  gardener  did  not  know  the  end  of  it ;  who- 
ever walked  beyond  it,  however,  came  to  a  beautiful  wood, 
with  very  high  trees  ;  and  beyond  that,  to  the  sea.  The  wood 
went  down  quite  to  the  sea,  which  was  very  deep  and  blue ; 
large  ships  could  sail  close  under  the  branches  ;  and  among  the 
branches  dwelt  a  nightingale,  who  sang  so  sweetly,  that  even 
the  poor  fisherman,  who  had  so  much  else  to  do,  when  he  came 
out  at  night-time  to  cast  his  nets,  would  stand  still  and  listen 
to  her  song.  4  Oh  !  how  pretty  that  is ! '  he  would  say — but 
then  he  was  obliged  to  mind  his  work,  and  forget  the  bird  ; 
yet  the  following  night,  if  again  the  nightingale  sang,  and  the 

173 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

fisherman  came  out,  again  he  would  say,  '  Oh  !  how  pretty 
that  is  !  ' 

Travellers  came  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  the  Emperor's 
city  ;  and  they  admired  the  city,  the  palace,  and  the  garden  ; 
but  if  they  heard  the  nightingale,  they  all  said,  '  This  is  the 
best.'  And  they  talked  about  her  after  they  went  home,  and 
learned  men  wrote  books  about  the  city,  the  palace,  and  the 
garden  ;  nor  did  they  forget  the  nightingale  :  she  was  extolled 
above  everything  else ;  and  poets  wrote  the  most  beautiful 
verses  about  the  nightingale  of  the  wood  near  the  sea. 

These  books  went  round  the  world,  and  one  of  them  at  last 
reached  the  Emperor.  He  was  sitting  in  his  golden  arm-chair  ; 
he  read  and  read,  and  nodded  his  head  every  moment ;  for 
these  splendid  descriptions  of  the  city,  the  palace,  and  the 
garden  pleased  him  greatly.  '  But  the  nightingale  is  the  best 
of  all,'  was  written  in  the  book. 

4  What  in  the  world  is  this  ?  '  said  the  Emperor.  '  The 
nightingale  !  I  do  not  know  it  at  all !  Can  there  be  such  a  bird 
in  my  empire,  in  my  garden  even,  without  my  having  even 
heard  of  it  ?  Truly  one  may  learn  something  from  books.' 

So  he  called  his  Cavalier ;  *  now  this  was  so  grand  a  person- 
age, that  no  one  of  inferior  rank  might  speak  to  him ;  and  if 
one  did  venture  to  ask  him  a  question,  his  only  answer  was 
4  Pish  ! '  which  has  no  particular  meaning. 

4  There  is  said  to  be  a  very  remarkable  bird  here,  called  the 
nightingale,'  said  the  Emperor ;  '  her  song,  they  say,  is  worth 
more  than  anything  else  in  all  my  dominions  ;  why  has  no  one 
ever  told  me  of  her  ?  ' 

4 1  have  never  before  heard  her  mentioned,'  said  the 
Cavalier ;  4  she  has  never  been  presented  at  court.' 

4 1  wish  her  to  come,  and  sing  before  me  this  evening,'  said 

1  Gentleman  in  waiting. 

174 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

the  Emperor.  '  The  whole  world  knows  what  I  have,  and  I 
do  not  know  it  myself  ! ' 

'  I  have  never  before  heard  her  mentioned,'  said  the 
Cavalier,  '  but  I  will  seek  her,  I  will  find  her.' 

But  where  was  she  to  be  found  ?  The  Cavalier  ran  up  one 
flight  of  steps,  down  another,  through  halls,  and  through 
passages ;  not  one  of  all  whom  he  met  had  ever  heard  of  the 
nightingale ;  and  the  Cavalier  returned  to  the  Emperor,  and 
said,  4  It  must  certainly  be  an  invention  of  the  man  who  wrote 
the  book.  Your  Imperial  Majesty  must  not  believe  all  that  is 
written  in  books  ;  much  in  them  is  pure  invention,  and  there  is 
what  is  called  the  Black  Art.' 

'  But  the  book  in  which  I  have  read  it,'  said  the  Emperor, 
4  was  sent  me  by  the  high  and  mighty  Emperor  of  Japan,  and 
therefore  it  cannot  be  untrue.  I  wish  to  hear  the  nightingale  ; 
she  must  be  here  this  evening,  and  if  she  do  not  come,  after 
supper  the  whole  court  shall  be  flogged.' 

'  Tsing-pe  ! '  said  the  Cavalier ;  and  again  he  ran  upstairs, 
and  downstairs,  through  halls,  and  through  passages,  and 
half  the  court  ran  with  him ;  for  not  one  would  have  relished 
the  flogging.  Many  were  the  questions  asked  respecting  the 
wonderful  nightingale,  whom  the  whole  world  talked  of,  and 
about  whom  no  one  at  court  knew  anything. 

At  last  they  met  a  poor  little  girl  in  the  kitchen,  who  said, 
'  Oh  yes  1  the  nightingale !  I  know  her  very  well.  Oh  !  how 
she  can  sing !  Every  evening  I  carry  the  fragments  left  at 
table  to  my  poor  sick  mother.  She  lives  by  the  sea-shore ; 
and  when  I  am  coming  back,  and  stay  to  rest  a  little  in  the 
wood,  I  hear  the  nightingale  sing ;  it  makes  the  tears  come 
into  my  eyes  !  it  is  just  as  if  my  mother  kissed  me.' 

'  Little  kitchen  maiden,'  said  the  Cavalier,  *  I  will  procure 
for  you  a  sure  appointment  in  the  kitchen,  together  with  per- 

175 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

mission  to  see  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  dine,  if  you  will 
conduct  us  to  the  nightingale,  for  she  is  expected  at.  court  this 
evening.' 

So  they  went  together  to  the  wood,  where  the  nightingale 
was  accustomed  to  sing ;  and  half  the  court  went  with  them. 
Whilst  on  their  way,  a  cow  began  to  low. 

4  Oh  !  '  said  the  court  pages,  '  now  we  have  her  !  It  is 
certainly  an  extraordinary  voice  for  so  small  an  animal ;  surely 
I  have  heard  it  somewhere  before.' 

4  No,  those  are  cows  you  hear  lowing,'  said  the  little 
kitchen-maid,  4  we  are  still  far  from  the  place.' 

The  frogs  were  now  croaking  in  the  pond. 

*  That  is  famous  !  '  said  the  chief  court-preacher,  '  now  I 
hear  her  ;  it  sounds  just  like  little  church-bells.' 

'  No,  those  are  frogs,'  said  the  little  kitchen-maid,  '  but 
now  I  think  we  shall  soon  hear  her.' 

Then  began  the  nightingale  to  sing. 

4  There  she  is  !  '  said  the  little  girl.  4  Listen !  listen !  there 
she  sits,'  and  she  pointed  to  a  little  grey  bird  up  in  the 
branches. 

4  Is  it  possible  ?  '  said  the  Cavalier.  4 1  should  not  have 
thought  it.  How  simple  she  looks  !  she  must  certainly  have 
changed  colour  at  the  sight  of  so  many  distinguished  per- 
sonages.' 

4  Little  nightingale  ! '  called  out  the  kitchen-maid,  '  our 
gracious  Emperor  wishes  you  to  sing  something  to  him.' 

4  With  the  greatest  pleasure,'  said  the  nightingale,  and  she 
sang  in  such  a  manner  that  it  was  delightful  to  hear  her. 

4  It  sounds  like  glass  bells,'  said  the  Cavalier.  4  And  look 
at  her  little  throat,  how  it  moves  !  It  is  singular  that  we  should 
never  have  heard  her  before ;  she  will  have  great  success  at 
court.' 

176 


Then  began  the  nightingale  to  sing 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

4  Shall  I  sing  again  to  the  Emperor  ?  '  asked  the  nightingale, 
for  she  thought  the  Emperor  was  among  them. 

'  Most  excellent  nightingale  !  '  said  the  Cavalier,  *  I  have  the 
honour  to  invite  you  to  a  court  festival,  which  is  to  take  place 
this  evening,  when  His  Imperial  Majesty  will  be  enchanted 
with  your  delightful  song.' 

'  My  song  would  sound  far  better  among  the  green  trees,' 


AMONG    THE    BRANCHES    DWELT    A    NIGHTINGALE 

said  the  nightingale  ;    however,  she  followed  willingly  when 
she  heard  that  the  Emperor  wished  it. 

There  was  a  regular  trimming  and  polishing  at  the  palace  ; 
the  walls  and  the  floors,  which  were  all  of  porcelain,  glittered 
with  a  thousand  gold  lamps  ;  the  loveliest  flowers,  with  the 
merriest  tinkling  bells,  were  placed  in  the  passages  ;  there  was 
a  running  to  and  fro,  which  made  all  the  bells  to  ring,  so  that 
one  could  not  hear  his  own  words. 

M  177 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

In  the  midst  of  the  grand  hall  where  the  Emperor  sat,  a 
golden  perch  was  erected,  on  which  the  nightingale  was  to  sit. 
The  whole  court  was  present,  and  the  little  kitchen-maid 
received  permission  to  stand  behind  the  door,  for  she  had  now 
actually  the  rank  and  title  of  '  Maid  of  the  Kitchen.'  All  were 
dressed  out  in  their  finest  clothes ;  and  all  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  little  grey  bird,  to  whom  the  Emperor  nodded  as  a 
signal  for  her  to  begin. 

And  the  nightingale  sang  so  sweetly,  that  tears  came  into 
the  Emperor's  eyes,  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks ;  and  the 
nightingale  sang  more  sweetly  still,  and  touched  the  hearts  of 
all  who  heard  her ;  and  the  Emperor  was  so  merry,  that  he 
said,  '  The  nightingale  should  have  his  golden  slippers,  and 
wear  them  round  her  neck.'  But  the  nightingale  thanked  him, 
and  said  she  was  already  sufficiently  rewarded. 

'  I  have  seen  tears  in  the  Emperor's  eyes ;  that  is  the  greatest 
reward  I  can  have.  The  tears  of  an  Emperor  have  a  particular 
value.  Heaven  knows  I  am  sufficiently  rewarded.'  And  then 
she  sang  again  with  her  sweet,  lovely  voice. 

4  It  is  the  most  amiable  coquetry  ever  known,'  said  the 
ladies  present ;  and  they  put  water  into  their  mouths,  and 
tried  to  move  their  throats  as  she  did  when  they  spoke  ;  they 
thought  to  become  nightingales  also.  Indeed  even  the  foot- 
men and  chamber-maids  declared  that  they  were  quite  con- 
tented ;  which  was  a  great  thing  to  say,  for  of  all  people  they 
are  the  most  difficult  to  satisfy.  Yes  indeed  !  the  nightingale's 
success  was  complete.  She  was  now  to  remain  at  court,  to 
have  her  own  cage ;  with  permission  to  fly  out  twice  in  the 
day,  and  once  in  the  night.  Twelve  attendants  were  allotted 
her,  who  were  to  hold  a  silken  band,  fastened  round  her  foot ; 
and  they  kept  good  hold.  There  was  no  pleasure  in  excursions 
made  in  this  manner. 
178 


THEY    ADMIRED    THE    CITY,    THE    PALACE,    AND    THE    GARDEN 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

All  the  city  was  talking  of  the  wonderful  bird  ;  and  when 
two  persons  met,  one  would  say  only  '  night,'  and  the  other 
4  gale,'  and  then  they  sighed,  and  understood  each  other  per- 
fectly ;  indeed  eleven  of  the  children  of  the  citizens  were  named 
after  the  nightingale,  but  none  of  them  had  her  tones  in  their 
throats. 

One  day  a  large  parcel  arrived  for  the  Emperor,  on  which 
was  written  '  Nightingale.' 

4  Here  we  have  another  new  book  about  our  far-famed  bird,' 
said  the  Emperor.  But  it  was  not  a  book ;  it  was  a  little 
piece  of  mechanism,  lying  in  a  box ;  an  artificial  nightingale, 
which  was  intended  to  look  like  the  living  one,  but  was 
covered  all  over  with  diamonds,  rubies,  and  sapphires.  When 
this  artificial  bird  had  been  wound  up,  it  could  sing  one  of  the 
tunes  that  the  real  nightingale  sang  ;  and  its  tail,  all  glittering 
with  silver  and  gold,  went  up  and  down  all  the  time.  A  little 
band  was  fastened  round  its  neck,  on  which  was  written,  4  The 
nightingale  of  the  Emperor  of  China  is  poor  compared  with  the 
nightingale  of  the  Emperor  of  Japan.' 

4  That  is  famous  !  '  said  every  one  ;  and  he  who  had  brought 
the  bird  obtained  the  title  of  4  Chief  Imperial  Nightingale 
Bringer.'  4  Now  they  shall  sing  together ;  we  will  have  a 
duet.' 

And  so  they  must  sing  together ;  but  it  did  not  succeed, 
for  the  real  nightingale  sang  in  her  own  way,  and  the  artificial 
bird  produced  its  tones  by  wheels.  4  It  is  not  his  fault,'  said 
the  artist, 4  he  keeps  exact  time  and  quite  according  to  method.' 
So  the  artificial  bird  must  now  sing  alone ;  he  was  quite 
as  successful  as  the  real  nightingale  ;  and  then  he  was  so  much 
prettier  to  look  at ;  his  plumage  sparkled  like  jewels. 

Three  and  thirty  times  he  sang  one  and  the  same  tune,  and 
yet  he  was  not  weary ;   every  one  would  willingly  have  heard 
180 


THE    KITCHEN-MAID 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

him  again  ;  however,  the  Emperor  now  wished  the  real  nightin- 
gale should  sing  something — but  where  was  she  ?  No  one  had 
remarked  that  she  had  flown  out  of  the  open  window ;  flown 
away  to  her  own  green  wood. 

4  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  '  said  the  Emperor ;  and 
all  the  courtiers  abused  the  nightingale,  and  called  her  a  most 
ungrateful  creature.  4  We  have  the  best  bird  at  all  events,' 
said  they,  and  for  the  four  and  thirtieth  time  they  heard  the 
same  tune,  but  still  they  did  not  quite  know  it,  because  it  was 
so  difficult.  The  artist  praised  the  bird  inordinately  ;  indeed 
he  declared  it  was  superior  to  the  real  nightingale,  not  only  in 
its  exterior,  all  sparkling  with  diamonds,  but  also  intrinsically. 

4  For  see,  my  noble  lords,  his  Imperial  Majesty  especially, 
with  the  real  nightingale,  one  could  never  reckon  on  what  was 
coming  ;  but  everything  is  settled  with  the  artificial  bird  ;  he 
will  sing  in  this  one  way,  and  no  other  :  this  can  be  proved,  he 
can  be  taken  to  pieces,  and  the  works  can  be  shown,  where  the 
wheels  lie,  how  they  move,  and  how  one  follows  from  another.' 

4  That  is  just  what  I  think,'  said  everybody  ;  and  the  artist 
received  permission  to  show  the  bird  to  the  people  on  the  follow- 
ing Sunday.  c  They  too  should  hear  him  sing,'  the  Emperor 
said.  So  they  heard  him,  and  were  as  well  pleased  as  if  they 
had  all  been  drinking  tea ;  for  it  is  tea  that  makes  Chinese 
merry,  and  they  all  said  oh  !  and  raised  their  fore-fingers,  and 
nodded  their  heads.  But  the  fisherman,  who  had  heard  the  real 
nightingale,  said,  4  It  sounds  very  pretty,  almost  like  the  real 
bird  ;  but  yet  there  is  something  wanting,  I  do  not  know  what.' 

The  real  nightingale  was,  however,  banished  the  empire. 

The  artificial  bird  had  his  place  on  a  silken  cushion,  close 

to  the  Emperor's  bed ;   all  the  presents  he  received,  gold  and 

precious  stones,  lay  around  him ;    he  had  obtained  the  rank 

and  title  of  '  High  Imperial  Dessert  Singer,'  and,  therefore,  his 

182 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

place  was  number  one  on  the  left  side ;  for  the  Emperor 
thought  that  the  side  where  the  heart  was  situated  must  be  the 
most  honourable,  and  the  heart  is  situated  on  the  left  side  of 
an  Emperor,  as  well  as  with  other  folks. 

And  the  artist  wrote  five  and  twenty  volumes  about  the 
artificial  bird,  with  the  longest  and  most  difficult  words  that 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Chinese  language.  So,  of  course,  all 
said  they  had  read  and  understood  them,  otherwise  they  would 
have  been  stupid,  and  perhaps  would  have  been  flogged. 

Thus  it  went  on  for  a  year.  The  Emperor,  the  court,  and 
all  the  Chinese  knew  every  note  of  the  artificial  bird's  song  by 
heart ;  but  that  was  the  very  reason  they  enjoyed  it  so  much, 
they  could  now  sing  with  him.  The  little  boys  in  the  street 
sang  '  Zizizi,  cluck,  cluck,  cluck ! '  and  the  Emperor  himself 
sang  too — yes  indeed,  that  was  charming  ! 

But  one  evening,  when  the  bird  was  in  full  voice,  and  the 
Emperor  lay  in  bed,  and  listened,  there  was  suddenly  a  noise, 
4  bang,'  inside  the  bird,  then  something  sprang  '  fur-r-r-r,'  all 
the  wheels  were  running  about,  and  the  music  stopped. 

The  Emperor  jumped  quickly  out  of  bed,  and  had  his  chief 
physician  called  ;  but  of  what  use  could  he  be  ?  Then  a  clock- 
maker  was  fetched,  and  at  last,  after  a  great  deal  of  discussion 
and  consultation,  the  bird  was  in  some  measure  put  to  rights 
again  ;  but  the  clockmaker  said  he  must  be  spared  much  sing- 
ing, for  the  pegs  were  almost  worn  out,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  renew  them,  at  least  so  that  the  music  should  be  correct. 

There  was  great  lamentation,  for  now  the  artificial  bird  was 
allowed  to  sing  only  once  a  year,  and  even  then  there  were 
difficulties  ;  however,  the  artist  made  a  short  speech  full  of  his 
favourite  long  words,  and  said  the  bird  was  as  good  as  ever  :  so 
then,  of  course,  it  was  as  good  as  ever. 

When  five  years  were  passed  away,  a  great  affliction  visited 

183 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

the  whole  empire,  for  in  their  hearts  the  people  thought  highly 
of  their  Emperor  ;  and  now  he  was  ill,  and  it  was  reported  that 
he  could  not  live.  A  new  Emperor  had  already  been  chosen, 


THE    CHIEF    IMPERIAL    NIGHTINGALE    BRINGER 

and  the  people  stood  in  the  street,  outside  the  palace,  and  asked 
the  Cavalier  how  the  Emperor  was  ? 

4  Pish  !  '  said  he,  and  shook  his  head. 

Cold  and  pale  lay  the  Emperor  in  his  magnificent  bed  ;  all 
the  court  believed  him  to  be  already  dead,  and  every  one  had 
184 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

hastened  away  to  greet  the  new  Emperor ;  the  men  ran  out 
for  a  little  gossip  on  the  subject,  and  the  maids  were  having  a 
grand  coffee-party. 

The  floors  of  all  the  rooms  and  passages  were  covered  with 
cloth,  in  order  that  not  a  step  should  be  heard — it  was  every- 
where so  still !  so  still !  But  the  Emperor  was  not  yet  dead  ; 
stiff  and  pale  he  lay  in  his  splendid  bed,  with  the  long  velvet 
curtains,  and  heavy  gold  tassels.  A  window  was  opened  above, 
and  the  moon  shone  down  on  the  Emperor  and  the  artificial 
bird. 

The  poor  Emperor  could  scarcely  breathe  ;  it  appeared  to 
him  as  though  something  was  sitting  on  his  chest ;  he  opened 
his  eyes,  and  saw  that  it  was  Death,  who  had  put  on  the 
Emperor's  crown,  and  with  one  hand  held  the  golden  scimitar, 
with  the  other  the  splendid  imperial  banner ;  whilst,  from 
under  the  folds  of  the  thick  velvet  hangings,  the  strangest- 
looking  heads  were  seen  peering  forth ;  some  with  an  ex- 
pression absolutely  hideous,  and  others  with  an  extremely 
gentle  and  lovely  aspect :  they  were  the  bad  and  good  deeds  of 
the  Emperor,  which  were  now  all  fixing  their  eyes  upon  him, 
whilst  Death  sat  on  his  heart. 

4  Dost  thou  know  this  ?  '  they  whispered  one  after  another. 
4  Dost  thou  remember  that  ?  '  And  they  began  reproaching 
him  in  such  a  manner  that  the  sweat  broke  out  upon  his 
forehead. 

4 1  have  never  known  anything  like  it,'  said  the  Emperor. 
4  Music,  music,  the  great  Chinese  drum  !  '  cried  he ;  4  let  me  not 
hear  what  they  are  saying.' 

They  went  on,  however ;  and  Death,  quite  in  the  Chinese 
fashion,  nodded  his  head  to  every  word. 

4  Music,  music  1 '  cried  the  Emperor.  4  Thou  dear  little 
artificial  bird  1  sing,  I  pray  thee,  sing  ! — I  have  given  thee  gold 

185 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

and  precious  stones,  I  have  even  hung  my  golden  slippers 
round  thy  neck — sing,  I  pray  thee,  sing  1 ' 

But  the  bird  was  silent ;  there  was  no  one  there  to  wind 
him  up,  and  he  could  not  sing  without  this.  Death  continued 
to  stare  at  the  Emperor  with  his  great  hollow  eyes  !  and  every- 
where it  was  still,  fearfully  still ! 

All  at  once  the  sweetest  song  was  heard  from  the  window  ; 
it  was  the  little  living  nightingale  who  was  sitting  on  a  branch 
outside — she  had  heard  of  her  Emperor's  severe  illness,  and 
was  come  to  sing  to  him  of  comfort  and  hope.  As  she  sang, 
the  spectral  forms  became  paler  and  paler,  the  blood  flowed 
more  and  more  quickly  through  the  Emperor's  feeble  members, 
and  even  Death  listened  and  said,  '  Go  on,  little  nightingale, 
go  on.' 

4  Wilt  thou  give  me  the  splendid  gold  scimitar  ?  Wilt 
thou  give  me  the  gay  banner,  and  the  Emperor's  crown  ?  ' 

And  Death  gave  up  all  these  treasures  for  a  song  ;  and  the 
nightingale  sang  on  :  she  sang  of  the  quiet  churchyard,  where 
white  roses  blossom,  where  the  lilac  sends  forth  its  fragrance, 
and  the  fresh  grass  is  bedewed  with  the  tears  of  the  sorrowing 
friends  of  the  departed.  Then  Death  was  seized  with  a  long- 
ing after  his  garden,  and  like  a  cold  white  shadow,  flew  out  at 
the  window. 

'  Thanks,  thanks,'  said  the  Emperor,  l  thou  heavenly  little 
bird,  I  know  thee  well.  I  have  banished  thee  from  my  realm, 
and  thou  hast  sung  away  those  evil  faces  from  my  bed,  and 
Death  from  my  heart ;  how  shall  I  reward  thee  ?  ' 

4  Thou  hast  already  rewarded  me,'  said  the  nightingale  ;  '  I 
have  seen  tears  in  thine  eyes,  as  when  I  sang  to  thee  for  the 
first  time  :  those  I  shall  never  forget,  they  are  jewels  which  do 
so  much  good  to  a  minstrel's  heart !  but  sleep  now,  and  wake 
fresh  and  healthy  ;  I  will  sing  thee  to  sleep.' 
186 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

And  she  sang — and  the  Emperor  fell  into  a  sweet  sleep. 
Oh,  how  soft  and  kindly  was  that  sleep  ! 

The  sun  shone  hi  at  the  window  when  he  awoke,  strong  and 
healthy.  Not  one  of  his  servants  had  returned,  for  they  all 
believed  him  dead  ;  but  the  nightingale  still  sat  and  sang. 


HE    WAS    QUITE    AS    SUCCESSFUL   AS    THE    REAL    NIGHTINGALE 

4  Thou  shalt  always  stay  with  me,'  said  the  Emperor,  '  thou 
shalt  only  sing  when  it  pleases  thee,  and  the  artificial  bird  I  will 
break  into  a  thousand  pieces.' 

4  Do  not  so,'  said  the  nightingale  ;  '  truly  he  has  done  what 
he  could ;  take  care  of  him.  I  cannot  stay  in  the  palace ; 
but  let  me  come  when  I  like  :  I  will  sit  on  the  branches  close 
to  the  window,  in  the  evening,  and  sing  to  thee,  that  thou 

187 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

mayest  become  happy  and  thoughtful.  I  will  sing  to  thee  of 
the  joyful  and  the  sorrowing,  I  will  sing  to  thee  of  all  that  is 
good  or  bad,  which  is  concealed  from  thee.  The  little  minstrel 
flies  afar  to  the  fisherman's  hut,  to  the  peasant's  cottage,  to  all 
who  are  far  distant  from  thee  and  thy  court.  I  love  thy  heart 
more  than  thy  crown,  and  yet  the  crown  has  an  odour  of 
something  holy  about  it.  I  will  come,  I  will  sing.  But  thou 
must  promise  me  one  thing.' 

4  Everything,5  said  the  Emperor.  And  now  he  stood  in 
his  imperial  splendour,  which  he  had  put  on  himself,  and  held 
the  scimitar  so  heavy  with  gold  to  his  heart.  '  One  thing  I 
beg  of  thee  :  let  no  one  know  that  thou  hast  a  little  bird, 
who  tells  thee  everything,  then  all  will  go  on  well.'  And 
the  nightingale  flew  away. 

The  attendants  came  in  to  look  at  their  dead  Emperor.  Lo ! 
there  they  stood — and  the  Emperor  said,  '  Good-morning  !  ' 


188 


SWAN 


THE   WILD    SWANS 

FAR  hence,  in  a  country  whither  the  Swallows  fly  in  our 
winter-time,  there  dwelt  a  King  who  had  eleven  sons, 
and  one  daughter,  the  beautiful  Elise.  The  eleven 
brothers  (they  were  princes)  went  to  school  with  stars  on  their 
breasts  and  swords  by  their  sides ;  they  wrote  on  golden 
tablets  with  diamond  pens,  and  could  read  either  with  a  book 
or  without  one — in  short,  it  was  easy  to  perceive  that  they  were 
princes.  Their  sister  Elise  used  to  sit  upon  a  little  glass  stool, 
and  had  a  picture-book  which  had  cost  the  half  of  a  kingdom. 
Oh,  the  children  were  so  happy  !  but  happy  they  were  not  to 
remain  always. 

Their  father  the  King  married  a  very  wicked  Queen,  who 
was  not  at  all  kind  to  the  poor  children ;  they  found  this  out 
on  the  first  day  after  the  marriage,  when  there  was  a  grand  gala 
at  the  palace  ;  for  when  the  children  played  at  receiving  com- 
pany, instead  of  having  as  many  cakes  and  sweetmeats  as  they 
liked,  the  Queen  gave  them  only  some  sand  hi  a  little  dish,  and 
told  them  to  imagine  that  was  something  nice. 

The  week  after,  she  sent  the  little  Elise  to  be  brought  up 
by  some  peasants  in  the  country,  and  it  was  not  long  before  she 
told  the  King  so  many  falsehoods  about  the  poor  princes  that 
he  would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  them. 

4  Away,  out  into  the  world,  and  take  care  of  yourselves,' 
said  the  wicked  Queen  ;  '  fly  away  in  the  form  of  great  speech- 
less birds.'  But  she  could  not  make  their  transformation  so 
190 


The  Peasant's  wife  sat  on  Sundays  at  the  door  of  her  cottage 
reading  her  hymn  book 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

disagreeable  as  she  wished, — the  Princes  were  changed  into 
eleven  white  swans.  Sending  forth  a  strange  cry,  they  flew 
out  of  the  palace  windows,  over  the  park  and  over  the  wood. 

It  was  still  early  in  the  morning  when  they  passed  by  the 
place  where  Elise  lay  sleeping  in  the  peasant's  cottage ;  they 
flew  several  times  round  the  roof,  stretched  their  long  necks, 
and  flapped  their  wings,  but  no  one  either  heard  or  saw  them ; 
they  were  forced  to  fly  away,  up  to  the  clouds  and  into  the  wide 
world,  so  on  they  went  to  the  forest,  which  extended  as  far  as 
the  sea-shore. 

The  poor  little  Elise  stood  in  the  peasant's  cottage  amusing 
herself  with  a  green  leaf,  for  she  had  no  other  plaything.  She 
pricked  a  hole  hi  the  leaf  and  peeped  through  it  at  the  sun, 
and  then  she  fancied  she  saw  her  brother's  bright  eyes,  and 
whenever  the  warm  sunbeams  shone  full  upon  her  cheeks,  she 
thought  of  her  brother's  kisses. 

One  day  passed  exactly  like  the  other.  When  the  wind 
blew  through  the  thick  hedge  of  rose-trees  hi  front  of  the  house, 
she  would  whisper  to  the  roses,  '  Who  is  more  beautiful  than 
you  ?  '  but  the  roses  would  shake  their  heads  and  say,  '  Elise.' 
And  when  the  peasant's  wife  sat  on  Sundays  at  the  door  of  her 
cottage  reading  her  hymn-book,  the  wind  would  rustle  in  the 
leaves  and  say  to  the  book,  '  Who  is  more  pious  than  thou  ?  ' 
— '  Elise,'  replied  the  hymn-book.  And  what  the  roses  and 
the  hymn-book  said,  was  no  more  than  the  truth. 

Elise  was  now  fifteen  years  old,  she  was  sent  for  home  ;  but 
when  the  Queen  saw  how  beautiful  she  was,  she  hated  her 
the  more,  and  would  willingly  have  transformed  her  like  her 
brothers  into  a  wild  swan,  but  she  dared  not  do  so,  because 
the  King  wished  to  see  his  daughter. 

So  the  next  morning  the  Queen  went  into  a  bath  which  was 
made  of  marble,  and  fitted  up  with  soft  pillows  and  the  gayest 

191 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

carpets  ;  she  took  three  toads,  kissed  them,  and  said  to  one, 
'  Settle  thou  upon  Elise's  head  that  she  may  become  dull  and 
sleepy  like  thee.' — '  Settle  thou  upon  her  forehead,'  said  she 
to  another,  '  and  let  her  become  ugly  like  thee,  so  that  her 
father  may  not  know  her  again.'  And  4  Do  thou  place  thyself 
upon  her  bosom,'  whispered  she  to  the  third,  '  that  her  heart 
may  become  corrupt  and  evil,  a  torment  to  herself.'  She  then 
put  the  toads  into  the  clear  water,  which  was  immediately 
tinted  with  a  green  colour,  and  having  called  Elise,  took  off 
her  clothes  and  made  her  get  into  the  bath — one  toad  settled 
among  her  hair,  another  on  her  forehead,  and  the  third  upon  her 
bosom,  but  Elise  seemed  not  at  all  aware  of  it ;  she  rose  up  and 
three  poppies  were  seen  swimming  on  the  water.  Had  not  the 
animals  been  poisonous  and  kissed  by  a  witch,  they  would  have 
been  changed  into  roses  whilst  they  remained  on  Elise's  head 
and  heart — she  was  too  good  for  magic  to  have  any  power  over 
her.  When  the  Queen  perceived  this,  she  rubbed  walnut  juice 
all  over  the  maiden's  skin,  so  that  it  became  quite  swarthy, 
smeared  a  nasty  salve  over  her  lovely  face,  and  entangled  her 
long  thick  hair, — it  was  impossible  to  recognise  the  beautiful 
Elise  after  this. 

When  her  father  saw  her  he  was  shocked,  and  said  she  could 
not  be  his  daughter ;  no  one  would  have  anything  to  do  with 
her  but  the  mastiff  and  the  swallows  ;  but  they,  poor  things, 
could  not  say  anything  in  her  favour. 

Poor  Elise  wept,  and  thought  of  her  eleven  brothers,  not 
one  of  whom  she  saw  at  the  palace.  In  great  distress  she  stole 
away  and  wandered  the  whole  day  over  fields  and  moors,  till 
she  reached  the  forest.  She  knew  not  where  to  go,  but  she  was 
so  sad,  and  longed  so  much  to  see  her  brothers,  who  had  been 
driven  out  into  the  world,  that  she  determined  to  seek  and  find 
them. 

192 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

She  had  not  been  long  in  the  forest  when  night  came  on, 
and  she  lost  her  way  amid  the  darkness.  So  she  lay  down  on 
the  soft  moss,  said  her  evening  prayer,  and  leaned  her  head 
against  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  It  was  so  still  in  the  forest,  the 
air  was  mild,  and  from  the  grass  and  mould  around  gleamed 
the  green  light  of  many  hundred  glowworms,  and  when  Elise 
lightly  touched  one  of  the  branches  hanging  over  her,  bright 
insects  fell  down  upon  her  like  falling  stars. 

All  the  night  long  she  dreamed  of  her  brothers.  They  were 
all  children  again,  played  together,  wrote  with  diamond  pens 
upon  golden  tablets,  and  looked  at  the  pictures  in  the  beautiful 
book  which  had  cost  half  of  a  kingdom.  But  they  did  not  as 
formerly  make  straight  strokes  and  pothooks  upon  the  tablets ; 
no,  they  wrote  of  the  bold  actions  they  had  performed,  and  the 
strange  adventures  they  had  encountered,  and  in  the  picture- 
book  everything  seemed  alive — the  birds  sang,  men  and  women 
stepped  from  the  book  and  talked  to  Elise  and  her  brothers ; 
however,  when  she  turned  over  the  leaves,  they  jumped  back 
into  their  places,  so  that  the  pictures  did  not  get  confused 
together. 

When  Elise  awoke  the  sun  was  already  high  in  the  heavens. 
She  could  not  see  it  certainly,  for  the  tall  trees  of  the  forest 
entwined  their  thickly  leaved  branches  closely  together,  which, 
as  the  sunbeams  played  upon  them,  looked  like  a  golden  veil 
waving  to  and  fro.  And  the  air  was  so  fragrant,  and  the  birds 
perched  upon  Elise's  shoulders.  She  heard  the  noise  of  water, 
there  were  several  springs  forming  a  pool,  with  the  prettiest 
pebbles  at  the  bottom,  bushes  were  growing  thickly  round, 
but  the  deer  had  trodden  a  broad  path  through  them,  and  by 
this  path  Elise  went  down  to  the  water's  edge.  The  water  was 
so  clear  that  had  not  the  boughs  and  bushes  around  been 
moved  to  and  fro  by  the  wind,  you  might  have  fancied  they 
N  193 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

were  painted  upon  the  smooth  surface,  so  distinctly  was  each 
little  leaf  mirrored  upon  it,  whether  glowing  in  the  sunlight 
or  lying  in  the  shade. 

As  soon  as  Elise  saw  her  face  reflected  in  the  water,  she  was 
quite  startled,  so  brown  and  ugly  did  it  look ;  however,  when 
she  wetted  her  little  hand,  and  rubbed  her  brow  and  eyes,  the 
white  skin  again  appeared. — So  Elise  took  off  her  clothes, 
stepped  into  the  fresh  water,  and  in  the  whole  world  there  was 
not  a  king's  daughter  more  beautiful  than  she  then  appeared. 

After  she  had  again  dressed  herself,  and  had  braided  her 
long  hair,  she  went  to  the  bubbling  spring,  drank  out  of  the 
hollow  of  her  hand,  and  then  wandered  farther  into  the  forest. 
She  knew  not  where  she  was  going,  but  she  thought  of  her 
brothers,  and  of  the  good  God  who,  she  felt,  would  never  for- 
sake her.  He  it  was  who  made  the  wild  crab-trees  grow  in 
order  to  feed  the  hungry,  and  who  showed  her  a  tree  whose- 
boughs  bent  under  the  weight  of  their  fruit.  She  made  her 
noonday  meal  under  its  shade,  propped  up  the  boughs,  and 
then  walked  on  amid  the  dark  twilight  of  the  forest.  It 
was  so  still  that  she  could  hear  her  own  footsteps,  and  the 
rustling  of  each  little  withered  leaf  that  was  crushed  beneath 
her  feet ;  not  a  bird  was  to  be  seen,  not  a  single  sunbeam 
penetrated  through  the  thick  foliage,  and  the  tall  stems  of 
the  trees  stood  so  close  together,  that  when  she  looked  straight 
before  her,  she  seemed  enclosed  by  trellis-work  upon  trellis- 
work.  Oh  !  there  was  a  solitariness  in  this  forest  such  as  Elise 
had  never  known  before. 

And  the  night  was  so  dark  !  not  a  single  glowworm  sent 
forth  its  light.  Sad  and  melancholy  she  lay  down  to  sleep, 
and  then  it  seemed  tocher  as  though  the  boughs  above  her 
opened,  and  that  she  saw  the  Angel  of  God  looking  down  upon 
her  with  gentle  aspect,  and  a  thousand  little  cherubs  all  around 
194 


SO    ELISE    TOOK    OFF    HER    CLOTHES    AND    STEPPED    INTO    THE    WATER 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

him.  When  she  awoke  in  the  morning  she  could  not  tell 
whether  this  was  a  dream,  or  whether  she  had  really  been  so 
watched. 

She  walked  on  a  little  farther  and  met  an  old  woman  with 
a  basket  full  of  berries  ;  the  old  woman  gave  her  some  of  them, 
and  Elise  asked  if  she  had  not  seen  eleven  princes  ride  through 
the  wood. 

'  No,'  said  the  old  woman,  '  but  I  saw  yesterday  eleven 
Swans  with  golden  crowns  on  their  heads  swim  down  the  brook 
near  this  place.' 

And  she  led  Elise  on  a  little  farther  to  a  precipice,  the  base 
of  which  was  washed  by  a  brook ;  the  trees  on  each  side  stretched 
their  long  leafy  branches  towards  each  other,  and  where  they 
could  not  unite,  the  roots  had  disengaged  themselves  from  the 
earth  and  hung  their  interlaced  fibres  over  the  water. 

Elise  bade  the  old  woman  farewell,  and  wandered  by  the 
side  of  the  stream  till  she  came  to  the  place  where  it  reached 
the  open  sea. 

The  great,  the  beautiful  sea  lay  extended  before  the 
maiden's  eyes,  but  not  a  ship,  not  a  boat  was  to  be  seen  ;  how 
was  she  to  go  on  ?  She  observed  the  numberless  little  stones 
on  the  shore,  all  of  which  the  waves  had  washed  into  a  round 
form ;  glass,  iron,  stone,  everything  that  lay  scattered  there, 
had  been  moulded  into  shape,  and  yet  the  water  which  had 
effected  this  was  much  softer  than  Elise's  delicate  little  hand. 
'  It  rolls  on  unweariedly,'  said  she,  '  and  subdues  what  is  so 
hard  ;  I  will  be  no  less  unwearied  !  Thank  you  for  the  lesson 
you  have  given  me,  ye  bright  rolling  waves  ;  some  day,  my 
heart  tells  me,  you  shall  carry  me  to  my  dear  brothers  ! ' 

There  lay  upon  the  wet  sea-grass  eleven  white  swan- 
feathers  ;  Elise  collected  them  together  ;  drops  of  water  hung 
about  them,  whether  dew  or  tears  she  could  not  tell.  She 
196 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

was  quite  alone  on  the  sea-shore,  but  she  did  not  care  for  that ; 
the  sea  presented  an  eternal  variety  to  her,  more  indeed  in  a 
few  hours  than  the  gentle  inland  waters  would  have  offered  in 
a  whole  year.  When  a  black  cloud  passed  over  the  sky,  it 
seemed  as  if  the  sea  would  say,  '  I  too  can  look  dark,'  and  then 
the  wind  would  blow  and  the  waves  fling  out  their  white  foam ; 
but  when  the  clouds  shone  with  a  bright  red  tint,  and  the  winds 
were  asleep,  the  sea  also  became  like  a  rose-leaf  in  hue  ;  it  was 
now  green,  now  white,  but  as  it  reposed  peacefully,  a  slight 
breeze  on  the  shore  caused  the  water  to  heave  gently  like  the 
bosom  of  a  sleeping  child. 

At  sunset  Elise  saw  eleven  Wild  Swans  with  golden  crowns 
on  their  heads  fly  towards  the  land ;  they  flew  one  behind 
another,  looking  like  a  streaming  white  ribbon.  Elise  climbed 
the  precipice,  and  concealed  herself  behind  a  bush  ;  the  swans 
settled  close  to  her,  and  flapped  their  long  white  wings. 

As  the  sun  sank  beneath  the  water,  the  swans  also  vanished, 
and  in  their  place  stood  eleven  handsome  princes,  the  brothers 
of  Elise.  She  uttered  a  loud  cry,  for  although  they  were  very 
much  altered,  Elise  knew  that  they  were,  felt  that  they  must 
be,  her  brothers  ;  she  ran  into  their  arms,  called  them  by  their 
names — and  how  happy  were  they  to  see  and  recognise  their 
sister,  who  was  now  grown  so  tall  and  so  beautiful !  They 
laughed  and  wept,  and  soon  told  each  other  how  wickedly 
their  step-mother  had  acted  towards  them. 

4  We,'  said  the  eldest  of  the  brothers,  4  fly  or  swim  as  long 
as  the  sun  is  above  the  horizon,  but  when  it  sinks  below,  we 
appear  again  in  our  human  form  ;  we  are  therefore  obliged  to 
look  out  for  a  safe  resting-place,  for  if  at  sunset  we  were  flying 
among  the  clouds,  we  should  fall  down  as  soon  as  we  resumed 
our  own  form.  We  do  not  dwell  here,  a  land  quite  as  beautiful 
as  this  lies  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  sea,  but  it  is  far  off.  To 

197 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

reach  it,  we  have  to  cross  the  deep  waters,  and  there  is  no  island 
midway  on  which  we  may  rest  at  night ;  one  little  solitary  rock 
rises  from  the  waves,  and  upon  it  we  only  just  find  room  enough 
to  stand  side  by  side.  There  we  spend  the  night  in  our  human 
form,  and  when  the  sea  is  rough,  we  are  sprinkled  by  its  foam  ; 
but  we  are  thankful  for  this  resting-place,  for  without  it  we 


AND    MET    AN    OLD    WOMAN    WITH    A    BASKET    FULL    OF    BERRIES 

should  never  be  able  to  visit  our  dear  native  country.  Only 
once  in  the  year  is  this  visit  to  the  home  of  our  fathers  per- 
mitted ;  we  require  two  of  the  longest  days  for  our  flight,  and 
can  remain  here  only  eleven  days,  during  which  time  we  fly 
over  the  large  forest,  whence  we  can  see  the  palace  in  which  we 
were  born,  where  our  father  dwells,  and  the  tower  of  the  church 
in  which  our  mother  was  buried.  Here  even  the  trees  and 
198 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

bushes  seem  of  kin  to  us,  here  the  wild  horses  still  race  over  the 
plains,  as  in  the  days  of  our  childhood,  here  the  charcoal- 
burner  still  sings  the  same  old  tunes  to  which  we  used  to  dance 
in  our  youth,  here  we  are  still  attracted,  and  here  we  have 
found  thee,  thou  dear  little  sister  !  We  have  yet  two  days 
longer  to  stay  here,  then  we  must  fly  over  the  sea  to  a  land 
beautiful  indeed,  but  not  our  fatherland.  How  shall  we  take 
thee  with  us  ?  we  have  neither  ship  nor  boat !  ' 

*  How  shall  I  be  able  to  release  you  ? '  said  the  sister.  And 
so  they  went  on  talking  almost  the  whole  of  the  night.  They 
slumbered  only  a  few  hours. 

Elise  was  awakened  by  the  rustling  of  swans'  wings  which 
were  fluttering  above  her.  Her  brothers  were  again  trans- 
formed, and  for  some  time  flew  around  in  large  circles.  At  last 
they  flew  far,  far  away  ;  one  of  them  remained  behind,  it  was 
the  youngest ;  he  laid  his  head  in  her  lap  and  she  stroked  his 
white  wings ;  they  remained  the  whole  day  together.  To- 
wards evening  the  others  came  back,  and  when  the  sun  was 
set,  again  they  stood  on  the  firm  ground  in  their  natural 
form. 

'  To-morrow  we  shall  fly  away,  and  may  not  return  for  a 
year,  but  we  cannot  leave  thee  ;  hast  thou  courage  to  accom- 
pany us  ?  My  arm  is  strong  enough  to  bear  thee  through  the 
forest ;  shall  we  not  have  sufficient  strength  in  our  wings  to 
transport  thee  over  the  sea  ?  ' 

4  Yes,  take  me  with  you,'  said  Elise.  They  spent  the  whole 
night  in  weaving  a  mat  of  the  pliant  willow  bark  and  the  tough 
rushes,  and  their  mat  was  thick  and  strong.  Elise  lay  down 
upon  it,  and  when  the  sun  had  risen,  and  the  brothers  were 
again  transformed  into  wild  swans,  they  seized  the  mat  with 
their  beaks  and  flew  up  high  among  the  clouds  with  their  dear 
sister,  who  was  still  sleeping.  The  sunbeams  shone  full  upon 

199 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

her  face,  so  one  of  the  swans  flew  over  her  head,  and  shaded 
her  with  his  broad  wings. 

They  were  already  far  from  land  when  Elise  awoke  :  she 
thought  she  was  still  dreaming,  so  strange  did  it  appear  to  her 
to  be  travelling  through  the  air,  and  over  the  sea.  By  her  side 
lay  a  cluster  of  pretty  berries,  and  a  handful  of  savoury  roots. 
Her  youngest  brother  had  collected  and  laid  them  there  ;  and 
she  thanked  him  with  a  smile,  for  she  knew  him  as  the  swan  who 
flew  over  her  head  and  shaded  her  with  his  wings. 

They  flew  so  high,  that  the  first  ship  they  saw  beneath  them 
seemed  like  a  white  sea-gull  hovering  over  the  water.  Elise 
saw  behind  her  a  large  cloud,  it  looked  like  a  mountain,  and  on 
it  she  saw  the  gigantic  shadows  of  herself  and  the  eleven 
swans — it  formed  a  picture  more  splendid  than  any  she  had 
ever  yet  seen  ;  soon,  however,  the  sun  rose  higher,  the  cloud 
remained  far  behind,  and  then  the  floating  shadowy  picture 
disappeared. 

The  whole  day  they  continued  flying  with  a  whizzing  noise 
somewhat  like  an  arrow,  but  yet  they  went  slower  than  usual 
— they  had  their  sister  to  carry.  A  heavy  tempest  was  gather- 
ing, the  evening  approached  ;  anxiously  did  Elise  watch  the 
sun,  it  was  setting.  Still  the  solitary  rock  could  not  be  seen  ; 
it  appeared  to  her  that  the  swans  plied  their  wings  with  increas- 
ing vigour.  Alas  !  it  would  be  her  fault  if  her  brothers  did  not 
arrive  at  the  place  in  time  ;  they  would  become  human  beings 
when  the  sun  set,  and  if  this  happened  before  they  reached  the 
rock,  they  must  fall  into  the  sea,  and  be  drowned.  She  prayed 
to  God  most  fervently,  still  no  rock  was  to  be  seen ;  the  black 
clouds  drew  nearer,  violent  gusts  of  wind  announced  the 
approach  of  a  tempest,  the  clouds  rested  perpendicularly  upon 
a  fearfully  large  wave  which  rolled  quickly  forwards,  one  flash 
of  lightning  rapidly  succeeded  another. 
200 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

The  sun  was  now  on  the  rim  of  the  sea.  Elise's  heart  beat 
violently ;  the  swans  shot  downwards  so  swiftly  that  she 
thought  she  must  fall,  but  again  they  began  to  hover  ;  the  sun 
was  half  sunk  beneath  the  water,  and  at  that  moment  she  saw 
the  little  rock  below  her  ;  it  looked  like  a  seal's  head  when  he 
raises  it  just  above  the  water.  And  the  sun  was  sinking  fast, — 
it  seemed  scarcely  larger  than  a  star, — her  foot  touched  the 
hard  ground,  and  it  vanished  altogether,  like  the  last  spark 
on  a  burnt  piece  of  paper.  Arm  in  arm  stood  her  brothers 
around  her — there  was  only  just  room  for  her  and  them ;  the 
sea  beat  tempestuously  against  the  rock,  flinging  over  them  a 


NOT    A    BOAT    WAS    TO    BE    SEEN 


shower  of  foam  ;  the  sky  seemed  in  a  continual  blaze,  with  the 
fast-succeeding  flashes  of  fire  that  lightened  it,  and  peal  after 
peal  rolled  on  the  thunder,  but  sister  and  brothers  kept  firm 
hold  of  each  other's  hands.  They  sang  a  psalm,  and  their 
psalm  gave  them  comfort  and  courage. 

By  daybreak  the  air  was  pure  and  still,  and  as  soon  as  the 
sun  rose,  the  swans  flew  away  with  Elise  from  the  rock.  The 
waves  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  when  they  looked  from  the 
clouds  down  upon  the  blackish-green  sea,  covered  as  it  was  with 
white  foam,  they  might  have  fancied  that  millions  of  swans 
were  swimming  on  its  surface. 

As  day  advanced,  Elise  saw  floating  in  the  air  before  her  a 

201 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

land  of  mountains  intermixed  with  glaciers,  and  in  the  centre 
a  palace  a  mile  in  length,  with  splendid  colonnades,  surrounded 
by  palm-trees  and  gorgeous-looking  flowers  as  large  as  mill- 
wheels.  She  asked  if  this  were  the  country  to  which  they  were 
flying,  but  the  swans  shook  their  heads,  for  what  she  saw  was 
the  beautiful  airy  castle  of  the  fairy  Morgana,  where  no  human 
being  was  admitted  ;  and  whilst  Elise  still  bent  her  eyes  upon 
it,  mountains,  trees,  and  castle  all  disappeared,  and  in  their 
place  stood  twelve  churches  with  high  towers  and  pointed 
windows — she  fancied  she  heard  the  organ  play,  but  it  was  only 
the  murmur  of  the  sea.  She  was  now  close  to  these  churches, 
but  behold  !  they  have  changed  into  a  large  fleet  sailing 
under  them ;  she  looked  down  and  saw  it  was  only  a  sea-mist 
passing  rapidly  over  the  water.  An  eternal  variety  floated 
before  her  eyes,  till  at  last  the  actual  land  to  which  she  was 
going  appeared  in  sight.  Beautiful  blue  mountains,  cedar 
woods,  towns,  and  castles  rose  to  view.  Long  before  sunset 
Elise  sat  down  among  the  mountains,  in  front  of  a  large 
cavern ;  delicate  young  creepers  grew  around  so  thickly,  that 
it  appeared  covered  with  gay  embroidered  carpets. 

4  Now  we  shall  see  what  thou  wilt  dream  of  to-night  1 '  said 
her  youngest  brother,  as  he  showed  her  the  sleeping-chamber 
destined  for  her. 

4  Oh  that  I  could  dream  how  you  might  be  released  from  the 
spell ! '  said  she  ;  and  this  thought  completely  occupied  her. 
She  prayed  most  earnestly  for  God's  assistance,  nay,  even  in 
her  dreams  she  continued  praying,  and  it  appeared  to  her  that 
she  was  flying  up  high  in  the  air  towards  the  castle  of  the  fairy 
Morgana.  The  fairy  came  forward  to  meet  her,  radiant  and 
beautiful,  and  yet  she  fancied  she  resembled  the  old  woman  who 
had  given  her  berries  in  the  forest,  and  told  her  of  the  swans 
with  golden  crowns. 
202 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

'  Thou  canst  release  thy  brothers,'  said  she,  '  but  hast  thou 
courage  and  patience  sufficient  ?  The  water  is  indeed  softer 
than  thy  delicate  hands,  and  yet  can  mould  the  hard  stones  to 
its  will,  but  then  it  cannot  feel  the  pain  which  thy  tender 
fingers  will  feel ;  it  has  no  heart,  and  cannot  suffer  the  anxiety 
and  grief  which  thou  must  suffer.  Dost  thou  see  these  sting- 
ing-nettles which  I  have  in  my  hand  ?  There  are  many  of  the 
same  kind  growing  round  the  cave  where  thou  art  sleeping ; 
only  those  that  grow  there  or  on  the  graves  in  the  church-yard 
are  of  use,  remember  that !  Thou  must  pluck  them,  although 
they  will  sting  thy  hand;  thou  must  trample  on  the  nettles 
with  thy  feet,  and  get  yarn  from  them,  and  with  this  yarn 
thou  must  weave  eleven  shirts  with  long  sleeves  ; — throw  them 
over  the  eleven  wild  swans,  and  the  spell  is  broken.  But  mark 
this  :  from  the  moment  that  thou  beginnest  thy  work  till  it 
is  completed,  even  should  it  occupy  thee  for  years,  thou  must 
not  speak  a  word ;  the  first  syllable  that  escapes  thy  lips  will 
fall  like  a  dagger  into  the  hearts  of  thy  brothers ;  on  thy 
tongue  depends  their  life.  Mark  well  all  this  ! ' 

And  at  the  same  moment  the  fairy  touched  Elise's  hands 
with  a  nettle,  which  made  them  burn  like  fire,  and  Elise  awoke. 
It  was  broad  daylight,  and  close  to  her  lay  a  nettle  like  the 
one  she  had  seen  in  her  dream.  She  fell  upon  her  knees, 
thanked  God,  and  then  went  out  of  the  cave  in  order  to  begin 
her  work.  She  plucked  with  her  own  delicate  hands  the  dis- 
agreeable stinging-nettles ;  they  burned  large  blisters  on  her 
hands  and  arms,  but  she  bore  the  pain  willingly  in  the  hope  of 
releasing  her  dear  brothers.  She  trampled  on  the  nettles  with 
her  naked  feet,  and  spun  the  green  yarn. 

At  sunset  came  her  brothers.  Elise's  silence  quite 
frightened  them,  they  thought  it  must  be  the  effect  of  some 
fresh  spell  of  their  wicked  step-mother;  but  when  they  saw 

203 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 


THERE    WAS    ONLY    JUST    ROOM 
FOR    HER    AND    THEM 


her  blistered  hands,  they 
found  out  what  their  sister 
was  doing  for  their  sakes. 
The  youngest  brother  wept, 
and  when  his  tears  fell  upon 
her  hands,  Elise  felt  no  more 
pain,  the  blisters  disappeared. 

The  whole  night  she  spent 
in  her  work,  for  she  could 
not  rest  till  she  had  released 
her  brothers.  All  the  follow- 
ing days  she  sat  in  her  soli- 
tude, for  the  swans  had  flown 
away ;  but  never  had  time 
passed  so  quickly.  One  shirt 
was  ready ;  she  now  began 
the  second. 

Suddenly  a  hunting-horn 
resounded  among  the  moun- 
tains. Elise  was  frightened. 
The  noise  came  nearer,  she 
heard  the  hounds  barking ; 
in  great  terror  she  fled  into 
the  cave,  bound  up  the  nettles 
which  she  had  gathered  and 
combed  into  a  bundle,  and 
sat  down  upon  it. 

In  the  same  moment  a 
large  dog  sprang  out  from  the 
bushes;  two  others  immedi- 
ately followed;  they  barked 
loudly,  ran  away  and  then 
returned.  It  was  not  long 


204 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

before  the  hunters  stood  in  front  of  the  cave  ;  the  hand- 
somest among  them  was  the  King  of  that  country ;  he  stepped 
up  to  Elise.  Never  had  he  seen  a  lovelier  maiden. 

4  How  earnest  thou  here,  thou  beautiful  child  ?  '  said  he. 
Elise  shook  her  head;  she  dared  not  speak,  a  word  might 
have  cost  her  the  life  of  her  brothers ;  and  she  hid  her 
hands  under  her  apron  lest  the  King  should  see  how  she  was 
suffering. 

'  Come  with  me,'  said  he,  '  thou  must  not  stay  here  !  If 
thou  art  good  as  thou  art  beautiful,  I  will  dress  thee  hi  velvet 
and  silk,  I  will  put  a  gold  crown  upon  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt 
dwell  in  my  palace  ! '  So  he  lifted  her  upon  his  horse,  while 
she  wept  and  wrung  her  hands ;  but  the  King  said,  '  I  only 
desire  thy  happiness  !  thou  shalt  thank  me  for  this  some  day  !' 
and  away  he  rode  over  mountains  and  valleys,  holding  her  on 
his  horse  in  front,  whilst  the  other  hunters  followed.  When 
the  sun  set,  the  King's  magnificent  capital  with  its  churches 
and  cupolas  lay  before  them,  and  the  King  led  Elise  into  the 
palace,  where,  in  a  high  marble  hall,  fountains  were  playing, 
and  the  walls  and  ceiling  displayed  the  most  beautiful  paint- 
ings. But  Elise  cared  not  for  all  this  splendour ;  she  wept  and 
mourned  in  silence,  even  whilst  some  female  attendants  dressed 
her  in  royal  robes,  wove  costly  pearls  in  her  hair,  and  drew  soft 
gloves  over  her  blistered  hands. 

And  now  she  was  full  dressed,  and  as  she  stood  hi  her 
splendid  attire,  her  beauty  was  so  dazzling,  that  the  courtiers 
all  bowed  low  before  her ;  and  the  King  chose  her  for  his  bride, 
although  the  Archbishop  shook  his  head,  and  whispered  that 
the  '  beautiful  lady  of  the  wood  must  certainly  be  a  witch, 
who  had  blinded  their  eyes,  and  infatuated  the  King's 
heart.' 

But  the  King  did  not  listen ;  he  ordered  that  music  should  be 
played.  A  sumptuous  banquet  was  served  up,  and  the  loveliest 

205 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

maidens  danced  round  the  bride  ;  she  was  led  through  fragrant 
gardens  into  magnificent  halls,  but  not  a  smile  was  seen  to  play 
upon  her  lips  or  beam  from  her  eyes.  The  King  then  opened 
a  small  room  next  her  sleeping  apartment ;  it  was  adorned  with 
costly  green  tapestry,  and  exactly  resembled  the  cave  in  which 
she  had  been  found ;  upon  the  ground  lay  the  bundle  of 
yarn  which  she  had  spun  from  the  nettles,  and  by  the  wall 
hung  the  shirt  she  had  completed.  One  of  the  hunters  had 
brought  all  this,  thinking  there  must  be  something  wonderful 
in  it. 

6  Here  thou  mayest  dream  of  thy  former  home,'  said  the 
King  ;  '  here  is  the  work  which  employed  thee  ;  amidst  all  thy 
present  splendour  it  may  sometimes  give  thee  pleasure  to  fancy 
thyself  there  again.' 

When  Elise  saw  what  was  so  dear  to  her  heart,  she  smiled, 
and  the  blood  returned  to  her  cheeks  ;  she  thought  her  brothers 
might  still  be  released,  and  she  kissed  the  King's  hand ;  he 
pressed  her  to  his  heart  and  ordered  the  bells  of  all  the  churches 
in  the  city  to  be  rung,  to  announce  the  celebration  of  their 
wedding.  The  beautiful  dumb  maiden  of  the  wood  was  to 
become  Queen  of  the  land. 

The  Archbishop  whispered  evil  words  in  the  King's  ear, 
but  they  made  no  impression  upon  him ;  the  marriage  was 
solemnised,  and  the  Archbishop  himself  was  obliged  to  put  the 
crown  upon  her  head.  In  his  rage  he  pressed  the  narrow  rim 
so  firmly  on  her  forehead  that  it  hurt  her  ;  but  a  heavier  weight 
(sorrow  for  her  brothers)  lay  upon  her  heart,  she  did  not  feel 
bodily  pain.  She  was  still  silent,  a  single  word  would  have 
killed  her  brothers  ;  her  eyes,  however,  beamed  with  heartfelt 
love  to  the  King,  so  good  and  handsome,  who  had  done  so 
much  to  make  her  happy.  She  became  more  warmly  attached 
to  him  every  day.  Oh,  how  much  she  wished  she  might  con- 
206 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

fide  to  him  all  her  sorrows  !  but  she  was  forced  to  remain  silent, 
she  could  not  speak  until  her  work  was  completed.  To  this 
end  she  stole  away  every  night,  and  went  into  the  little  room 
that  was  fitted  up  in  imitation  of  the  cave  ;  there  she  worked 
at  her  shirts,  but  by  the  time  she  had  begun  the  seventh  all  her 
yarn  was  spent. 

She  knew  that  the  nettles  she  needed  grew  in  the  church- 
yard, but  she  must  gather  them  herself ;  how  was  she  to  get 
them? 

'  Oh,  what  is  the  pain  in  my  fingers  compared  to  the  anguish 
my  heart  suffers  ? '  thought  she.  '  I  must  venture  to  the 
church-yard ;  the  good  God  will  not  withdraw  His  protection 
from  me  !  ' 

Fearful  as  though  she  were  about  to  do  something  wrong, 
one  moonlight  night  she  crept  down  to  the  garden,  and  through 
the  long  avenues  got  into  the  lonely  road  leading  to  the  church- 
yard. She  saw  sitting  on  one  of  the  broadest  tombstones  a 
number  of  ugly  old  witches.  They  took  off  their  ragged 
clothes  as  if  they  were  going  to  bathe,  and  digging  with  their 
long  lean  fingers  into  the  fresh  grass,  drew  up  the  dead  bodies 
and  devoured  the  flesh.  Elise  was  obliged  to  pass  close  by 
them,  and  the  witches  fixed  their  wicked  eyes  upon  her ;  but 
she  repeated  her  prayer,  gathered  the  stinging-nettles,  and 
took  them  back  with  her  into  the  palace.  One  person  only  had 
seen  her ;  it  was  the  Archbishop,  he  was  awake  when  others 
slept ;  now  he  was  convinced  that  all  was  not  right  about  the 
Queen  :  she  must  be  a  witch,  who  had  through  her  enchant- 
ments infatuated  the  King,  and  all  the  people. 

In  the  Confessional  he  told  the  King  what  he  had  seen,  and 
what  he  feared ;  and  when  the  slanderous  words  came  from  his 
lips,  the  sculptured  images  of  the  saints  shook  their  heads 
as  though  they  would  say,  '  It  is  untrue,  Elise  is  innocent ! ' 

207 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

But  the  Archbishop  explained  the  omen  quite  otherwise ;  he 
thought  it  was  a  testimony  against  her  that  the  holy  images 
shook  their  heads  at  hearing  of  her  sin. 

Two  large  tears  rolled  down  the  King's  cheeks.  He  returned 
home  in  doubt ;  he  pretended  to  sleep  at  night,  though  sleep 
never  visited  him ;  and  he  noticed  that  Elise  rose  from  her 
bed  every  night,  and  every  time  he  followed  her  secretly  and 
saw  her  enter  her  little  room. 

His  countenance  became  darker  every  day  ;  Elise  perceived 
it,  though  she  knew  not  the  cause.  She  was  much  pained,  and 
besides,  what  did  she  not  suffer  in  her  heart  for  her  brothers  ! 
Her  bitter  tears  ran  down  on  the  royal  velvet  and  purple  ; 
they  looked  like  bright  diamonds,  and  all  who  saw  the  magnifi- 
cence that  surrounded  her,  wished  themselves  in  her  place. 
She  had  now  nearly  finished  her  work,  only  one  shirt  was 
wanting ;  unfortunately,  yarn  was  wanting  also,  she  had  not 
a  single  nettle  left.  Once  more,  only  this  one  time,  she  must 
go  to  the  church-yard  and  gather  a  few  handfuls.  She 
shuddered  when  she  thought  of  the  solitary  walk  and  of  the 
horrid  witches,  but  her  resolution  was  as  firm  as  her  trust 
in  God. 

Elise  went ;  the  King  and  the  Archbishop  followed  her ; 
they  saw  her  disappear  at  the  church-yard  door,  and  when  they 
came  nearer,  they  saw  the  witches  sitting  on  the  tombstones  as 
Elise  had  seen  them,  and  the  King  turned  away,  for  he  believed 
her  whose  head  had  rested  on  his  bosom  that  very  evening  to 
be  amongst  them.  '  Let  the  people  judge  her  !  '  said  he.  And 
the  people  condemned  her  to  be  burnt. 

She  was  now  dragged  from  the  King's  sumptuous  apart- 
ments into  a  dark,  damp  prison,  where  the  wind  whistled 
through  the  grated  window.  Instead  of  velvet  and  silk,  they 
gave  her  the  bundle  of  nettles  she  had  gathered  ;  on  that  must 
208 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

she  lay  her  head,  the  shirts  she  had  woven  must  serve  her  as 
mattress  and  counterpane  ; — but  they  could  not  have  given  her 
anything  she  valued  so  much;  and  she  continued  her  work, 


I    MUST    VENTURE   TO    THE    CHURCH-YARD 


at  the  same  time  praying  earnestly  to  her  God.  The  boys 
sang  scandalous  songs  about  her  in  front  of  her  prison  ;  not  a 
soul  comforted  her  with  one  word  of  love. 

o  209 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Towards  evening  she  heard  the  rustling  of  Swans'  wings  at 
the  grating.  It  was  the  youngest  of  her  brothers,  who  had  at 
last  found  his  sister,  and  she  sobbed  aloud  for  joy,  although 
she  knew  that  the  coming  night  would  probably  be  the  last  of 
her  life ;  but  then  her  work  was  almost  finished  and  her 
brother  was  near. 

The  Archbishop  came  in  order  to  spend  the  last  hour  with 
her ;  he  had  promised  the  King  he  would ;  but  she  shook  her 
head  and  entreated  him  with  her  eyes  and  gestures  to  go — this 
night  she  must  finish  her  work,  or  all  she  had  suffered,  her 
pain,  her  anxiety,  her  sleepless  nights,  would  be  in  vain.  The 
Archbishop  went  away  with  many  angry  words,  but  the  un- 
fortunate Elise  knew  herself  to  be  perfectly  innocent,  and  went 
on  with  her  work. 

Little  mice  ran  busily  about  and  dragged  the  nettles  to  her 
feet,  wishing  to  help  her ;  and  the  thrush  perched  on  the  iron 
bars  of  the  window,  and  sang  all  night  as  merrily  as  he  could, 
that  Elise  might  not  lose  courage. 

It  was  still  twilight,  just  one  hour  before  sunrise,  when  the 
eleven  brothers  stood  before  the  palace  gates,  requesting  an 
audience  with  the  King ;  but  it  could  not  be,  they  were  told, 
it  was  still  night,  the  King  was  asleep,  and  they  dared  not 
wake  him.  They  entreated,  they  threatened,  the  guard  came 
up,  the  King  himself  at  last  stepped  out  to  ask  what  was  the 
matter, — at  that  moment  the  sun  rose,  the  brothers  could  be 
seen  no  longer,  and  eleven  white  Swans  flew  away  over  the 
palace. 

The  people  poured  forth  from  the  gates  of  the  city ;  they 
wished  to  see  the  witch  burnt.  One  wretched  horse  drew  the 
cart  in  which  Elise  was  placed ;  a  coarse  frock  of  sackcloth  had 
been  put  on  her,  her  beautiful  long  hair  hung  loosely  over  her 
shoulders,  her  cheeks  were  of  a  deadly  paleness,  her  lips  moved 
210 


THE  WILD  SWANS 

gently,  and  her  fingers  wove  the  green  yarn  :  even  on  her  way 
to  her  cruel  death  she  did  not  give  up  her  work  ;  the  ten  shirts 
lay  at  her  feet,  she  was  now  labouring  to  complete  the  eleventh. 
The  rabble  insulted  her. 

'  Look  at  the  witch,  how  she  mutters  !  She  has  not  a 
hymn-book  in  her  hand,  no,  there  she  sits  with  her  accursed 
hocus-pocus.  Tear  it  from  her,  tear  it  into  a  thousand 
pieces  !  ' 

And  they  all  crowded  about  her,  and  were  on  the  point  of 
snatching  away  the  shirts,  when  eleven  white  Swans  came 
flying  towards  the  cart ;  they  settled  all  round  her,  and  napped 
their  wings.  The  crowd  gave  way  in  terror. 

'  It  is  a  sign  from  Heaven  !  she  is  certainly  innocent ! ' 
whispered  some  ;  they  dared  not  say  so  aloud. 

The  Sheriff  now  seized  her  by  the  hand — in  a  moment  she 
threw  the  eleven  shirts  over  the  Swans,  and  eleven  handsome 
Princes  appeared  in  their  place.  The  youngest  had,  how- 
ever, only  one  arm,  and  a  wing  instead  of  the  other,  for 
one  sleeve  was  deficient  in  his  shirt,  it  had  not  been  quite 
finished. 

*  Now  I  may  speak,'  said  she  :   '  I  am  innocent !  ' 

And  the  people  who  had  seen  what  had  happened  bowed 
before  her  as  before  a  saint.  She,  however,  sank  lifeless  in  her 
brothers'  arms ;  suspense,  fear,  and  grief  had  quite  exhausted 
her. 

4  Yes,  she  is  innocent,'  said  her  eldest  brother,  and  he  now 
related  their  wonderful  history.  Whilst  he  spoke  a  fragrance 
as  delicious  as  though  it  proceeded  from  millions  of  roses, 
diffused  itself  around,  for  every  piece  of  wood  in  the  funeral 
pile  had  taken  root  and  sent  forth  branches,  a  hedge  of  blooming 
red  roses  surrounded  Elise,  and  above  all  the  others  blossomed 
a  flower  of  dazzling  white  colour,  bright  as  a  star ;  the  King 

211 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

plucked  it  and  laid  it  on  Elise's  bosom,  whereupon  she  awoke 
from  her  trance  with  peace  and  joy  in  her  heart. 

And  all  the  church-bells  began  to  ring  of  their  own  accord, 
and  birds  flew  to  the  spot  in  swarms,  and  there  was  a  festive 
procession  back  to  the  palace,  such  as  no  King  has  ever  seen 
equalled. 


212 


I    HAVE    SCARCELY    CLOSED    MY    EYES    THE    WHOLE    NIGHT   THROUGH 


THE   KEAL   PRINCESS 

THERE  was  once  a  Prince  who  wished   to  marry  a 
Princess  ;  but  then  she  must  be  a  real  Princess.     He 
travelled  all  over  the  world  in  hopes  of  finding  such  a 
lady ;    but  there  was  always  something  wrong.     Princesses 
he  found  in  plenty ;   but  whether  they  were  real  Princesses  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  decide,  for  now  one  thing,  now 
another,  seemed  to  him  not  quite  right  about  the  ladies.     At 
last  he  returned  to  his  palace  quite  cast  down,  because  he 
wished  so  much  to  have  a  real  Princess  for  his  wife. 

One  evening  a  fearful  tempest  arose;  it  thundered  and 
lightened,  and  the  rain  poured  down  from  the  sky  in  torrents  ; 
besides,  it  was  as  dark  as  pitch.  All  at  once  there  was  heard 
a  violent  knocking  at  the  door,  and  the  oldTCing,  the  Prince's 
father,  went  out  himself  to  open  it. 

It  was  a  Princess  who  was  standing  outside  the  door. 
What  with  the  rain  and  the  wind,  she  was  in  a  sad  condition  : 
the  water  trickled  down  from  her  hair,  and  her  clothes  clung 
to  her  body.  She  said  she  was  a  real  Princess. 

'  Ah,  we  shall  soon  see  that ! '  thought  the  old  Queen- 
mother  ;  however,  she  said  not  a  word  of  what  she  was  going 
to  do,  but  went  quietly  into  the  bedroom,  took  all  the  bed- 
clothes off  the  bed,  and  put  three  little  peas  on  the  bedstead. 
She  then  laid  twenty  mattresses  one  upon  another  over  the 
three  peas,  and  put  twenty  feather-beds  over  the  mattresses. 

Upon  this  bed  the  Princess  was  to  pass  the  night. 
214 


Princesses  he  found  in  plenty,  but  whether  they  were  real  Princesses 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  decide 


THE  REAL  PRINCESS 

The  next  morning  she  was  asked  how  she  had  slept.     '  Oh, 
very  badly  indeed  !  '  she  replied.     '  I  have  scarcely  closed  my 


THE    OLD    KING    HIMSELF    WENT 
OUT    TO    OPEN    IT 


eyes  the  whole  night  through.  I  do  not  know  what  was  in  my 
bed,  but  I  had  something  hard  under  me,  and  am  all  over  black 
and  blue.  It  has  hurt  me  so  much  !  ' 

215 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Now  it  was  plain  that  the  lady  must  be  a  real  Princess, 
since  she  had  been  able  to  feel  the  three  little  peas  through 
the  twenty  mattresses  and  twenty  feather-beds.  None  but  a 
real  Princess  could  have  had  such  a  delicate  sense  of  feeling. 


THE    PEAS    WERE    PRESERVED    IN    THE 
CABINET    OF    CURIOSITIES 


The  Prince  accordingly  made  her  his  wife,  being  now 
convinced  that  he  had  found  a  real  Princess.  The  three  peas 
were,  however,  put  into  the  cabinet  of  curiosities,  where  they 
are  still  to  be  seen,  provided  they  are  not  lost. 

Was  not  this  a  lady  of  real  delicacy  ? 


216 


KAREN 


THE   RED   SHOES 

THERE  was  once  a  little  girl,  very  pretty  and  delicate, 
but  so  poor  that  in  summer-time  she  always  went 
barefoot,  and  in  winter  wore  large  wooden  shoes,  so 
that  her  little  ankles  grew  quite  red  and  sore. 

In  the  village  dwelt  the  shoemaker's  mother.  She  sat 
down  one  day  and  made  out  of  some  old  pieces  of  red  cloth  a 
pair  of  little  shoes  ;  they  were  clumsy  enough,  certainly,  but 
they  fitted  the  little  girl  tolerably  well,  and  she  gave  them  to 
her.  The  little  girl's  name  was  Karen. 

It  was  the  day  of  her  mother's  funeral  when  the  red  shoes 
were  given  to  Karen  ;  they  were  not  at  all  suitable  for  mourn- 
ing, but  she  had  no  others,  and  in  them  she  walked  with  bare 
legs  behind  the  miserable  straw  bier. 

Just  then  a  large  old  carriage  rolled  by ;  in  it  sat  a  large 
old  lady ;  she  looked  at  the  little  girl  and  pitied  her,  and  she 
said  to  the  priest,  c  Give  me  the  little  girl  and  I  will  take  care  of 
her.' 

And  Karen  thought  it  was  all  for  the  sake  of  the  red  shoes 
that  the  old  lady  had  taken  this  fancy  to  her,  but  the  old  lady 
said  they  were  frightful,  and  they  were  burnt.  And  Karen  was 
dressed  very  neatly ;  she  was  taught  to  read  and  to  work ; 
and  people  told  her  she  was  pretty — but  the  mirror  said,  '  Thou 
art  more  than  pretty,  thou  art  beautiful !  ' 

It  happened  one  day  that  the  Queen  travelled  through 
that  part  of  the  country  with  her  little  daughter,  the  Princess  ; 
and  all  the  people,  Karen  amongst  them,  crowded  in  front  of 
218 


She  sat  down  one  day  and  made  out  of  some  old  pieces  of  red 
cloth,  a  pair  of  little  shoes 


Wl---  .,.,..,.» 


THE  RED  SHOES 

the  palace,  whilst  the  little  Princess  stood,  dressed  in  white,  at 
a  window,  for  every  one  to  see  her.  She  wore  neither  train  nor 
gold  crown ;  but  on  her  feet  were  pretty  red  morocco  shoes, 
much  prettier  ones  indeed  than  those  the  shoemaker's  mother 
had  made  for  little  Karen.  Nothing  in  the  world  could  be 
compared  to  these  red  shoes  ! 

Karen  was  now  old  enough  to  be  confirmed,  she  was  to 
have  both  new  frock  and  new  shoes.  The  rich  shoemaker  in 
the  town  took  the  measure  of  her  little  foot.  Large  glass  cases 
full  of  neat  shoes  and  shining  boots  were  fixed  round  the  room  ; 
however,  the  old  lady's  sight  was  not  very  good,  and,  naturally 
enough,  she  had  not  so  much  pleasure  in  looking  at  them  as 
Karen  had.  Amongst  the  shoes  was  a  pair  of  red  ones,  just 
like  those  worn  by  the  Princess.  How  gay  they  were  !  and 
the  shoemaker  said  they  had  been  made  for  a  count's  daughter, 
but  had  not  quite  fitted  her. 

4  They  are  of  polished  leather,'  said  the  old  lady,  '  see  how 
they  shine  !  ' 

4  Yes,  they  shine  beautifully  !  '  exclaimed  Karen.  And  as 
the  shoes  fitted  her,  they  were  bought ;  but  the  old  lady  did 
not  know  that  they  were  red,  for  she  would  never  have  suffered 
Karen  to  go  to  confirmation  in  red  shoes.  But  Karen  did  so. 
Everybody  looked  at  her  feet,  and  as  she  walked  up  the  nave 
to  the  chancel,  it  seemed  to  her  that  even  the  antique  sculptured 
figures  on  the  monuments,  with  their  stiff  ruffs  and  long  black 
robes,  fixed  their  eyes  on  her  red  shoes.  Of  them  only  she 
thought  when  the  Bishop  laid  his  hand  on  her  head,  when  he 
spoke  of  Holy  Baptism,  of  her  covenant  with  God,  and  how  that 
she  must  now  be  a  full-grown  Christian.  The  organ  sent  forth 
its  deep,  solemn  tones,  the  children's  sweet  voices  mingled  with 
those  of  the  choristers,  but  Karen  still  thought  only  of  her  red 
shoes. 

219 


AND    KAREN    WAS    DRESSED    VERY   NEATLY 


THE  RED  SHOES 

That  afternoon,  when  the  old  lady  was  told  that  Karen  had 
worn  red  shoes  at  her  confirmation,  she  was  much  vexed,  and 
told  Karen  that  they  were  quite  unsuitable,  and  that,  hence- 
forward, whenever  she  went  to  church,  she  must  wear  black 
shoes,  were  they  ever  so  old. 

Next  Sunday  was  the  communion  day.  Karen  looked  first 
at  the  red  shoes,  then  at  the  black  ones,  then  at  the  red  again, 
and — put  them  on. 

It  was  beautiful  sunshiny  weather  ;  Karen  and  the  old  lady 
walked  to  church  through  the  corn-fields ;  the  path  was  very 
dusty. 

At  the  church  door  stood  an  old  soldier ;  he  was  leaning  on 
crutches,  and  had  a  marvellously  long  beard,  not  white,  but 
reddish-hued,  and  he  bowed  almost  to  the  earth,  and  asked  the 
old  lady  if  he  might  wipe  the  dust  off  her  shoes.  And  Karen 
put  out  her  little  foot  also.  '  Oh,  what  pretty  dancing-shoes  !  ' 
quoth  the  old  soldier ;  4  take  care,  and  mind  you  do  not  let 
them  slip  off  when  you  dance  ' ;  and  he  passed  his  hands  over 
them. 

The  old  lady  gave  the  soldier  a  halfpenny,  and  then  went 
with  Karen  into  church. 

And  every  one  looked  at  Karen's  red  shoes ;  and  all  the 
carved  figures,  too,  bent  their  gaze  upon  them ;  and  when 
Karen  knelt  before  the  altar,  the  red  shoes  still  floated  before 
her  eyes ;  she  thought  of  them  and  of  them  only,  and  she  forgot 
to  join  in  the  hymn  of  praise — she  forgot  to  repeat  '  Our 
Father.' 

At  last  all  the  people  came  out  of  church,  and  the  old  lady 
got  into  her  carriage.  Karen  was  just  lifting  her  foot  to  follow 
her,  when  the  old  soldier  standing  in  the  porch  exclaimed, 
'  Only  look,  what  pretty  dancing-shoes  ! '  And  Karen  could 
not  help  it,  she  felt  she  must  make  a  few  of  her  dancing  steps  ; 

221 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

and  after  she  had  once  begun,  her  feet  continued  to  move, 
just  as  though  the  shoes  had  received  power  over  them  ;  she 
danced  round  the  church-yard,  she  could  not  stop.  The  coach- 
man was  obliged  to  run  after  her  ;  he  took  hold  of  her  and  lifted 
her  into  the  carriage,  but  the  feet  still  continued  to  dance,  so 
as  to  kick  the  good  old  lady  most  cruelly.  At  last  the  shoes 
were  taken  off,  and  the  feet  had  rest. 


KAREN  AND  THE  OLD  LADY  WALKED  TO  CHURCH 

And  now  the  shoes  were  put  away  in  a  press,  but  Karen 
could  not  help  going  to  look  at  them  every  now  and  then. 

The  old  lady  lay  ill  in  bed ;  the  doctor  said  she  could  not 
live  much  longer.  She  certainly  needed  careful  nursing,  and 
who  should  be  her  nurse  and  constant  attendant  but  Karen  ? 
But  there  was  to  be  a  grand  ball  in  the  town.  Karen  was 
invited ;  she  looked  at  the  old  lady  who  was  almost  dying — she 
looked  at  the  red  shoes — she  put  them  on,  there  could  be  no 
harm  in  doing  that,  at  least ;  she  went  to  the  ball,  and  began 
222 


THE  RED  SHOES 

to  dance.  But  when  she  wanted  to  move  to  the  right,  the 
shoes  bore  her  to  the  left ;  and  when  she  would  dance  up  the 
room,  the  shoes  danced  down  the  room,  danced  down  the 
stairs,  through  the  streets,  and  through  the  gates  of  the  town. 
Dance  she  did,  and  dance  she  must,  straight  out  into  the  dark 
wood. 

Something  all  at  once  shone  through  the  trees.  She 
thought  at  first  it  must  be  the  moon's  bright  face,  shining 
blood-red  through  the  night  mists ;  but  no,  it  was  the  old 
soldier  with  the  red  beard — he  sat  there,  nodding  at  her,  and 
repeating,  *  Only  look,  what  pretty  dancing-shoes  !  * 

She  was  very  much  frightened,  and  tried  to  throw  off  her 
red  shoes,  but  could  not  unclasp  them.  She  hastily  tore  off 
her  stockings ;  but  the  shoes  she  could  not  get  rid  of — they 
had,  it  seemed,  grown  on  to  her  feet.  Dance  she  did,  and  dance 
she  must,  over  field  and  meadow,  in  rain  and  in  sunshine,  by 
night  and  by  day.  By  night !  that  was  most  horrible !  She 
danced  into  the  lonely  church-yard,  but  the  dead  there  danced 
not,  they  were  at  rest.  She  would  fain  have  sat  down  on  the 
poor  man's  grave,  where  the  bitter  tansy  grew,  but  for  her 
there  was  neither  rest  nor  respite.  She  danced  past  the  open 
church  door  ;  there  she  saw  an  angel,  clad  in  long  white  robes, 
and  with  wings  that  reached  from  his  shoulders  to  the  earth  ; 
his  countenance  was  grave  and  stern,  and  in  his  hand  he  held  a 
broad  glittering  sword. 

4  Dance  thou  shalt,'  said  he  ;  4  dance  on,  in  thy  red  shoes, 
till  thou  art  pale  and  cold,  and  thy  skin  shrinks  and  crumples 
up  like  a  skeleton's  !  Dance  thou  shalt  still,  from  door  to  door, 
and  wherever  proud,  vain  children  live  thou  shalt  knock,  so 
that  they  may  hear  thee  and  fear  !  Dance  shalt  thou,  dance 
on ' 

'  Mercy ! '  cried  Karen ;  but  she  heard  not  the  angel's  answer, 

223 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

for  the  shoes  carried  her  through 
the  gate,  into  the  fields,  along 
highways  and  by-ways,  and  still 
she  must  dance. 

One  morning  she  danced  past 
a  door  she  knew  well ;  she  heard 
psalm-singing  from  within,  and 
presently  a  coffin,  strewn  with 
flowers,  was  borne  out.  Then 
Karen  knew  that  the  good  old 
lady  was  dead,  and  she  felt  herself 
a  thing  forsaken  by  all  mankind, 
and  accursed  by  the  Angel  of 
God. 

Dance  she  did,  and  dance  she 
must,  even  through  the  dark 
night;  the  shoes  bore  her  con- 
tinually over  thorns  and  briars, 
till  her  limbs  were  torn  and  bleed- 
ing. Away  she  danced  over  the 
heath  to  a  little  solitary  house ; 
she  knew  that  the  headsman 
dwelt  there,  and  she  tapped  with 
her  fingers  against  the  panes, 
crying— 

4  Come  out !  come  out ! — I  can- 
not come  in  to  you,  I  am  dancing.' 

And  the  headsman  replied, 
4  Surely  thou  knowest  not  who  I 
am.  I  cut  off  the  heads  of  wicked 
men,  and  my  axe  is  very  sharp 
and  keen.' 


HE   SAT   THERE    NODDING    AT    HER 

224 


THE  RED  SHOES 

4  Cut  not  off  my  head  ! '  said  Karen  ;  '  for  then  I  could  not 
live  to  repent  of  my  sin  ;  but  cut  off  my  feet  with  the  red  shoes.' 

And  then  she  confessed  to  him  all  her  sin,  and  the  headsman 
cut  off  her  feet  with  the  red  shoes  on  them  ;  but  even  after  this 
the  shoes  still  danced  away  with  those  little  feet  over  the 
fields,  and  into  the  deep  forests. 

And  the  headsman  made  her  a  pair  of  wooden  feet  and 
hewed  down  some  boughs  to  serve  her  as  crutches,  and  he 
taught  her  the  psalm  which  is  always  repeated  by  criminals, 
and  she  kissed  the  hand  that  had  guided  the  axe,  and  went 
her  way  over  the  heath.  '  Now  I  have  certainly  suffered  quite 
enough  through  the  red  shoes,'  thought  Karen,  '  I  will  go  to 
church  and  let  people  see  me  once  more  ! '  and  she  went  as  fast 
as  she  could  to  the  church-porch,  but  as  she  approached  it,  the 
red  shoes  danced  before  her  and  she  was  frightened  and  turned 
her  back. 

All  that  week  through  she  endured  the  keenest  anguish  and 
shed  many  bitter  tears ;  however,  when  Sunday  came,  she 
said  to  herself,  4  Well,  I  must  have  suffered  and  striven  enough 
by  this  time,  I  dare  say  I  am  quite  as  good  as  many  of  those 
who  are  holding  their  heads  so  high  in  church.'  So  she  took 
courage  and  went  there,  but  she  had  not  passed  the  church- 
yard gate  before  she  saw  the  red  shoes  again  dancing  before 
her,  and  in  great  terror  she  again  turned  back,  and  more  deeply 
than  ever  bewailed  her  sin. 

She  then  went  to  the  pastor's  house,  and  begged  that  some 
employment  might  be  given  her,  promising  to  work  diligently 
and  do  all  she  could  ;  she  did  not  wish  for  any  wages,  she  said, 
she  only  wanted  a  roof  to  shelter  her,  and  to  dwell  with  good 
people.  And  the  pastor's  wife  had  pity  on  her,  and  took  her 
into  her  service.  And  Karen  was  grateful  and  industrious. 

Every  evening  she  sat  silently  listening  to  the  pastor,  while 
P  225 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

he  read  the  Holy  Scriptures  aloud.  All  the  children  loved  her, 
but  when  she  heard  them  talk  about  dress  and  finery,  and 
about  being  as  beautiful  as  a  queen,  she  would  sorrowfully 
shake  her  head. 

Again  Sunday  came,  all  the  pastor's  household  went  to 


DANCE   SHE    MUST,    OVER    FIELD    AND    MEADOW 

church,  and  they  asked  her  if  she  would  not  go  too,  but  she 
sighed  and  looked  with  tears  in  her  eyes  upon  her  crutches. 

When  they  were  all  gone,  she  went  into  her  own  little, 
lowly  chamber — it  was  but  just  large  enough  to  contain  a  bed 
and  chair — and  there  she  sat  down  with  her  psalm-book  in  her 
hand,  and  whilst  she  was  meekly  and  devoutly  reading  in  it, 
the  wind  wafted  the  tones  of  the  organ  from  the  church  into 
226 


THE  RED  SHOES 

her  room,  and  she  lifted  up  her  face  to  heaven  and  prayed, 
with  tears,  4  O  God,  help  me  ! ' 

Then  the  sun  shone  brightly,  so  brightly  !— and  behold  ! 
close  before  her  stood  the  white-robed  Angel  of  God,  the  same 
whom  she  had  seen  on  that  night  of  horror  at  the  church-porch, 
but  his  hand  wielded  not  now,  as  then,  a  sharp,  threatening 
sword — he  held  a  lovely  green  bough,  full  of  roses.  With  this 
he  touched  the  ceiling,  which  immediately  rose  to  a  great  height, 
a  bright  gold  star  spangling  in  the  spot  where  the  Angel's 
green  bough  had  touched  it.  And  he  touched  the  walls, 
whereupon  the  room  widened,  and  Karen  saw  the  organ,  the 
old  monuments,  and  the  congregation  all  sitting  in  their  richly 
carved  seats  and  singing  from  their  psalm-books. 

For  the  church  had  come  home  to  the  poor  girl  in  her 
narrow  chamber,  or  rather  the  chamber  had  grown,  as  it  were, 
into  the  church  ;  she  sat  with  the  rest  of  the  pastor's  household, 
and,  when  the  psalm  was  ended,  they  looked  up  and  nodded  to 
her,  saying,  '  Thou  didst  well  to  come,  Karen  !  ' 

4  This  is  mercy  ! '  said  she. 

And  the  organ  played  again,  and  the  children's  voices  in  the 
choir  mingled  so  sweetly  and  plaintively  with  it !  The  bright 
sunbeams  streamed  warmly  through  the  windows  upon  Karen's 
seat ;  her  heart  was  so  full  of  sunshine,  of  peace  and  gladness, 
that  it  broke  ;  her  soul  flew  upon  a  sunbeam  to  her  Father  in 
heaven,  where  not  a  look  of  reproach  awaited  her,  not  a  word 
was  breathed  of  the  red  shoes. 


227 


it 


Iw  •  •  "  fl 
- 


TWO    ROGUES   CALLING   THEMSELVES    WEAVERS    MADE    THEIR    APPEARANCE 


THE  EMPEROR'S  NEW  CLOTHES 

MANY  years  ago,  there  was  an  Emperor,  who  was  so 
excessively  fond  of  new  clothes  that  he  spent  all 
his  money  in  dress.      He  did  not  trouble  himself 
in  the  least  about  his  soldiers  ;   nor  did  he  care  to  go  either  to 
the  theatre  or  the  chase,  except  for  the  opportunities  then 
afforded  him  for  displaying  his  new  clothes.     He  had  a  different 
suit  for  each  hour  of  the  day;   and  as  of  any  other  king  or 
emperor  one  is  accustomed  to  say,  '  He  is  sitting  in  council,' 
it  was  always  said  of  him,  '  The  Emperor  is  sitting  in  his  ward- 
robe.' 

Time  passed  away  merrily  in  the  large  town  which  was  his 
capital ;  strangers  arrived  every  day  at  the  court.  One  day, 
two  rogues,  calling  themselves  weavers,  made  their  appearance. 
They  gave  out  that  they  knew  how  to  weave  stuffs  of  the  most 
beautiful  colours  and  elaborate  patterns,  the  clothes  manu- 
factured from  which  should  have  the  wonderful  property  of 
remaining  invisible  to  every  one  who  was  unfit  for  the  office 
he  held,  or  who  was  extraordinarily  simple  in  character. 

'  These  must  indeed  be  splendid  clothes  ! '  thought  the 
Emperor.  '  Had  I  such  a  suit,  I  might,  at  once,  find  out  what 
men  in  my  realms  are  unfit  for  their  office,  and  also  be  able  to 
distinguish  the  wise  from  the  foolish  !  This  stuff  must  be 
woven  for  me  immediately.'  And  he  caused  large  sums  of 
money  to  be  given  to  both  the  weavers,  in  order  that  they 
might  begin  their  work  directly. 

229 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

So  the  two  pretended  weavers  set  up  two  looms,  and  affected 
to  work  very  busily,  though  in  reality  they  did  nothing  at  all. 
They  asked  for  the  most  delicate  silk  and  the  purest  gold 
thread,  put  both  into  their  own  knapsacks,  and  then  con- 
tinued their  pretended  work  at  the  empty  looms  until  late  at 
night. 

4 1  should  like  to  know  how  the  weavers  are  getting  on  with 
my  cloth,'  said  the  Emperor  to  himself,  after  some  little  time 
had  elapsed ;  he  was,  however,  rather  embarrassed,  when  he 
remembered  that  a  simpleton,  or  one  unfit  for  his  office,  would 
be  unable  to  see  the  manufacture.  '  To  be  sure,'  he  thought, 
4  he  had  nothing  to  risk  in  his  own  person  ;  but  yet,  he  would 
prefer  sending  somebody  else,  to  bring  him  intelligence  about 
the  weavers,  and  their  work,  before  he  troubled  himself  in  the 
affair.'  All  the  people  throughout  the  city  had  heard  of  the 
wonderful  property  the  cloth  was  to  possess  ;  and  all  were 
anxious  to  learn  how  wise,  or  how  ignorant,  their  neighbours 
might  prove  to  be. 

4 1  will  send  my  faithful  old  minister  to  the  weavers,'  said 
the  Emperor  at  last,  after  some  deliberation,  '  he  will  be  best 
able  to  see  how  the  cloth  looks  ;  for  he  is  a  man  of  sense,  and 
no  one  can  be  more  suitable  for  his  office  than  he  is.' 

So  the  faithful  old  minister  went  into  the  hall,  where  the 
knaves  were  working  with  all  their  might  at  their  empty  looms. 
4  What  can  be  the  meaning  of  this  ?  '  thought  the  old  man, 
opening  his  eyes  very  wide.  4 1  cannot  discover  the  least  bit 
of  thread  on  the  looms ! '  However,  he  did  not  express  his 
thoughts  aloud. 

The  impostors  requested  him  very  courteously  to  be  so 

good  as  to  come  nearer  their  looms  ;    and  then  asked  him 

whether  the  design  pleased  him,  and  whether  the  colours  were 

not  very  beautiful,    at  the  same  time  pointing  to  the  empty 

230 


THE  EMPEROR'S  NEW  CLOTHES 

frames.  The  poor  old  minister  looked  and  looked,  he  could 
not  discover  anything  on  the  looms,  for  a  very  good  reason, 
viz.  there  was  nothing  there.  '  What ! '  thought  he  again, 
4  is  it  possible  that  I  am  a  simpleton  ?  I  have  never  thought 
so  myself ;  and  no  one  must  know  it  now  if  I  am  so.  Can  it 
be  that  I  am  unfit  for  my  office  ?  No,  that  must  not  be  said 
either.  I  will  never  confess  that  I  could  not  see  the  stuff.' 

4  Well,  Sir  Minister,'  said  one  of  the  knaves,  still  pretend- 
ing to  work,  4  you  do  not  say  whether  the  stuff  pleases  you.' 

4  Oh,  it  is  excellent !  '  replied  the  old 
minister,  looking  at  the  loom  through 
his  spectacles.  4  This  pattern,  and  the 
colours — yes,  I  will  tell  the  Emperor  with- 
out delay  how  very  beautiful  I  think 
them.' 

4  We  shall  be  much  obliged  to  you,' 
said  the  impostors,  and  then  they  named 
the  different  colours  and  described  the 
pattern  of  the  pretended  stuff.  The  old 
minister  listened  attentively  to  their  words, 
in  order  that  he  might  repeat  them  to  the 
Emperor;  and  then  the  knaves  asked 
for  more  silk  and  gold,  saying  that  it  was  necessary  to 
complete  what  they  had  begun.  However,  they  put  all  that 
was  given  them  into  their  knapsacks,  and  continued  to 
work  with  as  much  apparent  diligence  as  before  at  their 
empty  looms. 

The  Emperor  now  sent  another  officer  of  his  court  to  see 
how  the  men  were  getting  on,  and  to  ascertain  whether  the 
cloth  would  soon  be  ready.  It  was  just  the  same  with  this 
gentleman  as  with  the  minister ;  he  surveyed  the  looms  on  all 
sides,  but  could  see  nothing  at  all  but  the  empty  frames. 

231 


OH,    IT    IS    EXCELLENT  ! 
REPLIED    THE    MINISTER 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  Does  not  the  stuff  appear  as  beautiful  to  you  as  it  did  to 
my  lord  the  minister  ?  '  asked  the  impostors  of  the  Emperor's 
second  ambassador ;  at  the  same  time  making  the  same 
gestures  as  before,  and  talking  of  the  design  and  colours  which 
were  not  there. 

'  I  certainly  am  not  stupid  ! '  thought  the  messenger.  '  It 
must  be  that  I  am  not  fit  for  my  good,  profitable  office  !  That 
is  very  odd ;  however,  no  one  shall  know  anything  about  it.' 
And  accordingly  he  praised  the  stuff  he  could  not  see,  and 
declared  that  he  was  delighted  with  both  colours  and  patterns. 
*  Indeed,  please  your  Imperial  Majesty,'  said  he  to  his  sovereign, 
when  he  returned,  '  the  cloth  which  the  weavers  are  preparing 
is  extraordinarily  magnificent.' 

The  whole  city  was  talking  of  the  splendid  cloth  which 
the  Emperor  had  ordered  to  be  woven  at  his  own 
expense. 

And  now  the  Emperor  himself  wished  to  see  the  costly 
manufacture  whilst  it  was  still  on  the  loom.  Accompanied  by 
a  select  number  of  officers  of  the  court,  among  whom  were  the 
two  honest  men  who  had  already  admired  the  cloth,  he  went  to 
the  crafty  impostors,  who,  as  soon  as  they  were  aware  of  the 
Emperor's  approach,  went  on  working  more  diligently  than 
ever,  although  they  still  did  not  pass  a  single  thread  through 
the  looms. 

4  Is  not  the  work  absolutely  magnificent  ?  '  said  the  two 
officers  of  the  Crown,  already  mentioned.  4  If  your  Majesty 
will  only  be  pleased  to  look  at  it !  what  a  splendid  design  ! 
what  glorious  colours  ! '  and,  at  the  same  time,  they  pointed 
to  the  empty  frames ;  for  they  imagined  that  every  one  else 
could  see  this  exquisite  piece  of  workmanship. 

4  How  is  this  ?  '  said  the  Emperor  to  himself,  '  I  can  see 
nothing  !  this  is  indeed  a  terrible  affair  !  Am  I  a  simpleton,  or 
232 


THE  EMPEROR'S  NEW  CLOTHES 

am  I  unfit  to  be  an  Emperor  ?  that  would  be  the  worst  thing 
that  could  happen.  Oh  !  the  cloth  is  charming,'  said  he  aloud. 
'  It  has  my  complete  approbation.'  And  he  smiled  most 
graciously,  and  looked  closely  at  the  empty  looms  ;  for  on  no 
account  would  he  say  that  he  could  not  see  what  two  of  the 
officers  of  his  court  had  praised  so  much.  All  his  retinue  now 
strained  their  eyes,  hoping  to  discover  something  on  the  looms, 
but  they  could  see  no  more  than  the  others ; 
nevertheless,  they  all  exclaimed,  '  Oh,  how  beauti- 
ful ! '  and  advised  his  Majesty  to  have  some  new 
clothes  made  from  this  splendid  material,  for  the 
approaching  procession.  '  Magnificent !  charming ! 
excellent !  '  resounded  on  all  sides  ;  and  every 
one  was  uncommonly  gay.  The  Emperor  shared 
in  the  general  satisfaction ;  and  presented  the 
impostors  with  the  riband  of  an  order  of  knight- 
hood, to  be  worn  in  their  button-holes,  and  the 
title  of  '  Gentlemen  Weavers.' 

The  rogues  sat  up  the  whole  of  the  night 
before  the  day  on  which  the  procession  was  to 
take  place,  and  had  sixteen  lights  burning,  so 
that  every  one  might  see  how  anxious  they  were 
to  finish  the  Emperor's  new  suit.  They  pre-  AS  IF  w  THE  ACT 
tended  to  roll  the  cloth  off  the  looms  ;  cut  the  OF  HOLDINO  SOME- 

.    ,          ,       .  ,  ,,  THING    UP 

air  with  their  scissors ;  and  sewed  with  needles 

without  any  thread  in  them.     '  See  ! '  cried  they  at  last,  '  the 

Emperor's  new  clothes  are  ready ! ' 

And  now  the  Emperor,  with  all  the  grandees  of  his  court, 
came  to  the  weavers ;  and  the  rogues  raised  their  arms,  as  if 
in  the  act  of  holding  something  up,  saying,  '  Here  are  your 
Majesty's  trousers  !  here  is  the  scarf  !  here  is  the  mantle  !  The 
whole  suit  is  as  light  as  a  cobweb ;  one  might  fancy  one  has 

233 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

nothing  at  all  on,  when  dressed  in  it ;  that,  however,  is  the  great 
virtue  of  this  delicate  cloth.' 

4  Yes,  indeed  !  '  said  all  the  courtiers,  although  not  one  of 
them  could  see  anything  of  this  exquisite  manufacture. 

4  If  your  Imperial  Majesty  will  be  graciously  pleased  to 
take  off  your  clothes,  we  will  fit  on  the  new  suit  in  front  of  the 
looking-glass.' 

The  Emperor  was  accordingly  undressed,  and  the  rogues 


SO    NOW    THE    EMPEROR   WALKED    UNDER    HIS    HIGH    CANOPY 

pretended  to  array  him  in  his  new  suit ;  the  Emperor  turning 
round,  from  side  to  side,  before  the  looking-glass. 

4  How  splendid  his  Majesty  looks  in  his  new  clothes  !  and 
how  well  they  fit ! '  every  one  cried  out.  4  What  a  design  ! 
what  colours  !  these  are  indeed  royal  robes  !  ' 

4  The  canopy  which  is  to  be  borne  over  your  Majesty  in  the 
procession  is  waiting,'  announced  the  chief  master  of  the 
ceremonies. 

4 1  am  quite  ready,'  answered  the  Emperor.  '  Do  my  new 
clothes  fit  well  ?  '  asked  he,  turning  himself  round  again  before 
234 


THE  EMPEROR'S  NEW  CLOTHES 

the  looking-glass,  in  order  that  he  might  appear  to  be  examining 
his  handsome  suit. 

The  lords  of  the  bed-chamber,  who  were  to  carry  his 
Majesty's  train,  felt  about  on  the  ground,  as  if  they  were  lifting 
up  the  ends  of  the  mantle,  and  pretending  to  be  carrying  some- 
thing ;  for  they  would  by  no  means  betray  anything  like 
simplicity  or  unfitness  for  their  office. 

So  now  the  Emperor  walked  under  his  high  canopy  in  the 
midst  of  the  procession,  through  the  streets  of  his  capital ;  and 


all  the  people  standing  by,  and  those  at  the  windows,  cried  out, 
1  Oh !  how  beautiful  are  our  Emperor's  new  clothes  !  what  a 
magnificent  train  there  is  to  the  mantle !  and  how  gracefully 
the  scarf  hangs ! '  in  short,  no  one  would  allow  that  he  could 
not  see  these  much-admired  clothes ;  because,  in  doing  so,  he 
would  have  declared  himself  either  a  simpleton  or  unfit  for  his 
office.  Certainly,  none  of  the  Emperor's  various  suits  had 
ever  made  so  great  an  impression  as  these  invisible  ones. 

*  But  the  Emperor  has  nothing  at  all  on  ! '  said  a  little  child. 
4  Listen  to  the  voice  of  innocence  ! '  exclaimed  his  father  ;  and 
what  the  child  had  said  was  whispered  from  one  to  another. 

235 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  But  he  has  nothing  at  all  on  1 '  at  last  cried  out  all  the 
people.  The  Emperor  was  vexed,  for  he  knew  that  the  people 
were  right ;  but  he  thought  the  procession  must  go  on  now  ! 
And  the  lords  of  the  bed-chamber  took  greater  pains  than  ever 
to  appear  holding  up  a  train,  although,  in  reality,  there  was  no 
train  to  hold. 


236 


THE  SWINEHERD 

THERE  was  once  a  poor  Prince,  who  had  a  kingdom ; 
his  kingdom  was  very  small,  but  still  quite  large 
enough  to  marry  upon  ;  and  he  wished  to  marry. 

It  was  certainly  rather  cool  of  him  to  say  to  the  Emperor's 
daughter,  Will  you  have  me  •?  But  so  he  did ;  for  his  name 
was  renowned  far  and  wide ;  and  there  were  a  hundred 
princesses  who  would' have  answered  4  Yes  !  '  and  '  Thank  you 
kindly.'  We  shall  see  what  this  Princess  said. 

Listen ! 

It  happened  that  where  the  Prince's  father  lay  buried,  there 
grew  a  rose-tree — a  most  beautiful  rose-tree,  which  blossomed 
only  once  in  every  five  years,  and  even  then  bore  only  one 
flower,  but  that  was  a  rose  !  It  smelt  so  sweet,  that  all  cares 
and  sorrows  were  forgotten  by  him  who  inhaled  its  fragrance. 

And  furthermore,  the  Prince  had  a  nightingale,  who  could 
sing  in  such  a  manner  that  it  seemed  as  though  all  sweet 
melodies  dwelt  in  her  little  throat.  So  the  Princess  was  to  have 
the  rose,  and  the  nightingale ;  and  they  were  accordingly  put 
into  large  silver  caskets,  and  sent  to  her. 

The  Emperor  had  them  brought  into  a  large  hall,  where 
the  Princess  was  playing  at  '  Visiting,'  with  the  ladies  of  the 
court ;  and  when  she  saw  the  caskets  with  the  presents,  she 
clapped  her  hands  for  joy. 

4  Ah,  if  it  were  but  a  little  pussy-cat ! '  said  she — but  the 
rose-tree  with  its  beautiful  rose  came  to  view. 
238 


THE  SWINEHERD 

'  Oh,  how  prettily  it  is  made  ! J  said  all  the  court  ladies. 
4  It    is    more    than    pretty,'    said    the    Emperor,    '  it    is 
charming ! ' 


ALL   CARES    AND    SORROWS    WERE    FORGOTTEN 
BY    HIM    WHO    INHALED    ITS    FRAGRANCE 


But  the  Princess  touched Jt,  and  was  almost  ready  to  cry. 
*  Fie,  papa  !  '  said  she,  '  it  is  not  made  at  all,  it  is  natural !  ' 

239 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  Let  us  see  what  is  in  the  other  casket,  before  we  get  into 
a  bad  humour,'  said  the  Emperor.  So  the  nightingale  came 
forth,  and  sang  so  delightfully  that  at  first  no  one  could  say 
anything  ill-humoured  of  her. 

*  Superbe  !   charmant !  '  exclaimed  the  ladies  ;    for  they  all 
used  to  chatter  French,  each  one  worse  than  her  neighbour. 

'  How  much  the  bird  reminds  me  of  the  musical  box  that 
belonged  to  our  blessed  Empress,'  said  an  old  knight.  '  Oh 
yes  !  these  are  the  same  tones,  the  same  execution.' 

*  Yes  !  yes  ! '  said  the  Emperor,  and  he  wept  like  a  child  at 
the  remembrance. 

'  I  will  still  hope  that  it  is  not  a  real  bird,'  said  the  Princess. 

4  Yes,  it  is  a  real  bird,'  said  those  who  had  brought  it. 
4  Well,  then,  let  the  bird  fly,'  said  the  Princess ;  and  she 
positively  refused  to  see  the  Prince. 

However,  he  was  not  to  be  discouraged ;  he  daubed  his 
face  over  brown  and  black,  pulled  his  cap  over  his  ears,  and 
knocked  at  the  door. 

*  Good  day  to  my  lord  the  Emperor !  '  said  he.     4  Can  I 
have  employment  at  the  palace  ?  ' 

4  Why,  yes,'  said  the  Emperor,  4 1  want  some  one  to  take 
care  of  the  pigs,  for  we  have  a  great  many  of  them.' 

So  the  Prince  was  appointed  4  Imperial  Swineherd.'  He 
had  a  dirty  little  room  close  by  the  pig-sty ;  and  there  he  sat 
the  whole  day,  and  worked.  By  the  evening  he  had  made  a 
pretty  little  kitchen-pot.  Little  bells  were  hung  all  round  it ; 
and  when  the  pot  was  boiling,  these  bells  tinkled  in  the  most 
charming  manner,  and  played  the  old  melody, 

*  Ach  !  du  lieber  Augustin, 
Alles  ist  weg,  weg,  weg ! ' l 

1  '  Ah  !  dear  Augustine, 
All  is  gone,  gone,  gone  ! ' 

240 


THE  SWINEHERD 

But  what  was  still  more  curious,  whoever  held  his  finger  in 
the  smoke  of  the  kitchen-pot,  immediately  smelt  all  the  dishes 
that  were  cooking  on  every  hearth  in  the  city. — This,  you  see, 


AND    HE   \VEPf    LIKE    A    CHILD 


was  something  quite  different  from  the  rose. 

Now  the  Princess  happened  to  walk  that  way ;   and  when 
she  heard  the  tune,  she  stood  quite  still,  and  seemed  pleased  ; 
Q  241 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

for  she  could  play  '  Lieber  Augustin  '  ;  it  was  the  only  piece 
she  knew  ;   and  she  played  it  with  one  finger. 

4  Why,  there  is  my  piece,'  said  the  Princess ;  '  that  swine- 
herd must  certainly  have  been  well  educated  !  Go  in  and  ask 
him  the  price  of  the  instrument.' 

So  one  of  the  court  ladies  must  run  in  ;  however,  she  drew 
on  wooden  slippers  first. 

4  What  will  you  take  for  the  kitchen-pot  ?  '  said  the  lady. 

4 1  will  have  ten  kisses  from  the  Princess,'  said  the  swine- 
herd. 

4  Yes,  indeed  !  '  said  the  lady. 

'  I  cannot  sell  it  for  less,'  rejoined  the  swineherd. 

4  He  is  an  impudent  fellow  !  '  said  the  Princess,  and  she 
walked  on;  but  when  she  had  gone  a  little  way,  the  bells 
tinkled  so  prettily, 

'  Ach  !  du  lieber  Augustin, 
Alles  1st  «'eg,  weg,  weg !  "* 

4  Stay,'  said  the  Princess.  4  Ask  him  if  he  will  have  ten 
kisses  from  the  ladies  of  my  court.' 

4  No,  thank  you  !  '  said  the  swineherd,  4  ten  kisses  from  the 
Princess,  or  I  keep  the  kitchen-pot  myself.' 

4  That  must  not  be  either  !  '  said  the  Princess  ;  4  but  do  you 
all  stand  before  me  that  no  one  may  see  us.' 

And  the  court-ladies  placed  themselves  in  front  of  her,  and 
spread  out  their  dresses  :  the  swineherd  got  ten  kisses,  and  the 
Princess— the  kitchen-pot. 

That  was  delightful !  the  pot  was  boiling  the  whole  evening, 
and  the  whole  of  the  following  day.  They  knew  perfectly  well 
what  was  cooking  at  every  fire  throughout  the  city,  from  the 
chamberlain's  to  the  cobbler's  :  the  court  ladies  danced,  and 
clapped  their  hands. 

4  We  know  who  has  soup,  and  who  has  pancakes  for 
242 


THE  SWINEHERD 

dinner  to-day  ;    who  has  cutlets,  and  who  has  eggs.     How 

interesting  !  ' 

'  Yes,  but  keep  my  secret,  for  I  am  an  Emperor's  daughter.' 
The  swineherd — that  is  to  say,  the  Prince,  for  no  one  knew 

that  he  was  other  than  an  ill-favoured  swineherd — let  not  a 

day   pass   without  working  at   something ;     he   at  last  con- 


'  ACH  !    DU    LIEBER    AUGUSTIN  ' 

structed  a  rattle,  which,  when  it  was  swung  round,  played  all 
the  waltzes  and  jig-tunes  which  have  ever  been  heard  since  the 
creation  of  the  world. 

'  Ah,  that  is  superbe  !  J  said  the  Princess  when  she  passed 
by.  '  I  have  never  heard  prettier  compositions  !  Go  in  and 
ask  him  the  price  of  the  instrument ;  but  mind,  he  shall  have 
no  more  kisses  !  ' 

243 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

4  He  will  have  a  hundred  kisses  from  the  Princess  ! '  said  the 
lady  who  had  been  to  ask. 

4 1  think  he  is  not  in  his  right  senses  !  '  said  the  Princess, 
and  walked  on ;  but  when  she  had  gone  a  little  way,  she 
stopped  again.  '  One  must  encourage  art,'  said  she.  4  I  am 
the  Emperor's  daughter.  Tell  him  he  shall,  as  on  yesterday, 
have  ten  kisses  from  me,  and  may  take  the  rest  from  the  ladies 
of  the  court.' 

4  Oh ! — but  we  should  not  like  that  at  all ! '  said  they. 
4  What  are  you  muttering  ?  '  asked  the  Princess  ;  *  if  I  can 
kiss  him,  surely  you  can  !  Remember  that  you  owe  every- 
thing to  me.'  So  the  ladies  were  obliged  to  go  to  him  again. 

4  A  hundred  kisses  from  the  Princess ! '  said  he,  4  or  else  let 
every  one  keep  his  own.' 

4  Stand  round  ! '  said  she  ;  and  all  the  ladies  stood  round 
her  whilst  the  kissing  was  going  on. 

4  What  can  be  the  reason  for  such  a  crowd  close  by  the  pig- 
sty ?  '  said  the  Emperor,  who  happened  just  then  to  step  out 
on  the  balcony  ;  he  rubbed  his  eyes  and  put  on  his  spectacles. 
4  They  are  the  ladies  of  the  court ;  I  must  go  down  and  see 
what  they  are  about ! '  So  he  pulled  up  his  slippers  at  the 
heel,  for  he  had  trodden  them  down. 

As  soon  as  he  had  got  into  the  court-yard,  he  moved  very 
softly,  and  the  ladies  were  so  much  engrossed  with  counting 
the  kisses  that  all  might  go  on  fairly,  that  they  did  not  perceive 
the  Emperor.  He  rose  on  his  tiptoes. 

4  What  is  all  this  ?  '  said  he,  when  he  saw  what  was  going 
on,  and  he  boxed  the  Princess's  ears  with  his  slipper,  just  as 
the  swineherd  was  taking  the  eighty-sixth  kiss. 

4  March  out ! '  said  the  Emperor,  for  he  was  very  angry ; 
and  both  Princess  and  swineherd  were  thrust  out  of  the 
city. 

244 


The  Swineherd  scolded  and  the  rain  poured  down 


THE  SWINEHERD 

The  Princess  now  stood  and  wept,  the  swineherd  scolded, 
and  the  rain  poured  down. 

'  Alas  !  unhappy  creature  that  I  am  !  '  said  the  Princess. 
6  If  I  had  but  married  the  handsome  young  Prince  !  Ah,  how 
unfortunate  I  am  ! ' 

And  the  swineherd  went  behind  a  tree,  washed  the  black 
and  brown  colour  from  his  face,  threw  off  his  dirty  clothes,  and 
stepped  forth  in  his  princely  robes  ;  he  looked  so  noble  that  the 
Princess  could  not  help  bowing  before  him. 

4 1  am  come  to  despise  thee,'  said  he.  '  Thou  wouldst  not 
have  an  honourable  prince  !  thou  couldst  not  prize  the  rose 
and  the  nightingale,  but  thou  wast  ready  to  kiss  the  swineherd 
for  the  sake  of  a  trumpery  plaything.  Thou  art  rightly 
served.' 

He  then  went  back  to  his  own  little  kingdom,  and  shut  the 
door  of  his  palace  in  her  face.  Now  she  might  well  sing 

'  Ach !  du  lieber  Augustin, 
Alles  ist  weg,  weg,  weg  ! ' 


245 


UP    FLEW    THE   TRUNK 


THE  FLYING  TRUNK 

THERE  was  once  a  merchant,  so  rich  that  he  might  have 
paved  the  whole  street  where  he  lived  and  an  alley 
besides  with  pieces  of  silver,  but  this  he  did  not  do  ; 
he  knew  another  way  of  using  his  money,  and  whenever  he  laid 
out  a  shilling  he  gained  a  crown  in  return  :  a  merchant  he 
lived,  and  a  merchant  he  died. 

All  his  money  then  went  to  his  son.  But  the  son  lived 
merrily  and  spent  all  his  time  in  pleasures,  went  to  masquerades 
every  evening,  made  bank-notes  into  paper  kites,  and  played 
at  ducks  and  drakes  in  the  pond  with  gold  pieces  instead  of 
stones.  In  this  manner  his  money  soon  vanished,  until  at  last 
he  had  only  a  few  pennies  left,  and  his  wardrobe  was  reduced 
to  a  pair  of  slippers  and  an  old  dressing-gown.  His  friends 
cared  no  more  about  him,  now  that  they  could  no  longer  walk 
abroad  with  him ;  one  of  them,  however,  more  good-natured 
than  the  rest,  sent  him  an  old  trunk,  with  this  advice,  '  Pack 
up,  and  be  off !  '  This  was  all  very  fine,  but  he  had  nothing 
that  he  could  pack  up,  so  he  put  himself  into  the  trunk. 

It  was  a  droll  trunk !  When  the  lock  was  pressed  close  it 
could  fly.  The  merchant's  son  did  press  the  lock,  and  lo  !  up 
flew  the  trunk  with  him  through  the  chimney,  high  into  the 
clouds,  on  and  on,  higher  and  higher ;  the  lower  part  cracked, 
which  rather  frightened  him,  for  if  it  had  broken  in  two,  a 
pretty  fall  he  would  have  had  ! 

However,  it  descended  safely,  and  he  found  himself  in 

247 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Turkey.  He  hid  the  trunk  under  a  heap  of  dry  leaves  in  a 
wood,  and  walked  into  the  next  town  :  he  could  do  so  very 
well,  for  among  the  Turks  everybody  goes  about  clad  as  he 
was,  in  dressing-gown  and  slippers.  He  met  a  nurse,  carrying 
a  little  child  in  her  arms.  '  Hark  ye,  Turkish  nurse,'  quoth 

he ;  '  what  palace  is  that  with 
the  high  windows  close  by  the 
town  ?  ' 

'  The  King's  daughter  dwells 
there,'  replied  the  nurse  ;  c  it  has 
been  prophesied  of  her  that  she 
shall  be  made  very  unhappy  by  a 
lover,  and  therefore  no  one  may 
visit  her,  except  when  the  King 
and  Queen  are  with  her.' 

4  Thank  you,'  said  the  mer- 
chant's son,  and  he  immediately 
went  back  into  the  wood,  sat  down 
in  his  trunk,  flew  up  to  the  roof 
of  the  palace,  and  crept  through 
the  window  into  the  Princess's 
apartment. 

She  was  lying  asleep  on  the 
sofa.  She  was  so  beautiful  that 
the  merchant's  son  could  not  help 

kneeling  down  to  kiss  her  hand,  whereupon  she  awoke,  and  was 
not  a  little  frightened  at  the  sight  of  this  unexpected  visitor  ; 
but  he  told  her,  however,  that  he  was  the  Turkish  prophet,  and 
had  come  down  from  the  sky  on  purpose  to  woo  her,  and  on 
hearing  this  she  was  well  pleased.  So  they  sat  down  side  by 
side,  and  he  talked  to  her  about  her  eyes,  how  that  they  were 
beautiful  dark-blue  seas,  and  that  thoughts  and  feelings  floated 
248 


THE    SON    LIVED    MERRILY 


THE  FLYING  TRUNK 

like  mermaidens  therein  ;  and  he  spoke  of  her  brow,  how  that  it 
was  a  fair  snowy  mountain,  with  splendid  halls  and  pictures, 
apd  many  other  such  like  things  he  told  her. 


HE    MET    A    NURSE 


Oh,  these  were  charming  stories  !  and  thus  he  wooed  the 
Princess,  and  she  immediately  said  '  Yes  !  ' 

4  But  you  must  come  here  on  Saturday,'  said  she ;  '  the 
King  and  Queen  have  promised  to  drink  tea  with  me  that 

249 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

evening  ;  they  will  be  so  proud  and  so  pleased  when  they  hear 
that  I  am  to  marry  the  Turkish  prophet !  And  mind  you  tell 
them  a  very  pretty  story,  for  they  are  exceedingly  fond  of 
stories ;  my  mother  likes  them  to  be  very  moral  and  aristo- 
cratic, and  my  father  likes  them  to  be  merry,  so  as  to  make 
him  laugh.' 

'  Yes,  I  shall  bring  no  other  bridal  present  than  a  tale,' 
replied  the  merchant's  son ;  and  here  they  parted,  but  not 
before  the  Princess  had  given  her  lover  a  sabre  all  covered 
with  gold.  He  knew  excellently  well  what  use  to  make  of 
this  present. 

So  he  flew  away,  bought  a  new  dressing-gown,  and  then 
sat  down  in  the  wood  to  compose  the  tale  which  was  to  be 
ready  by  Saturday,  and  certainly  he  found  composition  not 
the  easiest  thing  in  the  world. 

At  last  he  was  ready,  and  at  last  Saturday  came. 

The  King,  the  Queen,  and  the  whole  court  were  waiting 
tea  for  him  at  the  Princess's  palace.  The  suitor  was  received 
with  much  ceremony. 

4  Will  you  not  tell  us  a  story  ?  '  asked  the  Queen  ;  '  a  story 
that  is  instructive  and  full  of  deep  meaning.' 

4  But  let  it  make  us  laugh,'  said  the  King. 

4  With  pleasure,'  replied  the  merchant's  son  ;  and  now  you 
must  hear  his  story  :— 

There  was  once  a  bundle  of  matches,  who  were  all  ex- 
tremely proud  of  their  high  descent,  for  their  genealogical  tree, 
that  is  to  say,  the  tall  fir-tree,  from  which  each  of  them  was  a 
splinter,  had  been  a  tree  of  great  antiquity,  and  distinguished 
by  his  height  from  all  the  other  trees  of  the  forest.  The 
matches  were  now  lying  on  the  mantlepiece,  between  a  tinder- 
box  and  an  old  iron  saucepan,  and  to  these  two  they  often 
250 


THE  FLYING  TRUNK 

talked  about  their  youth.  '  Ah,  when  we  were  upon  the  green 
branches,5  said  they ;  '  when  we  really  lived  upon  green 
branches — that  was  a  happy  time !  Every  morning  and 
evening  we  had  diamond-tea— that  is,  dew  ;  the  whole  day  long 
we  had  sunshine,  at  least  whenever  the  sun  shone,  and  all  the 
little  birds  used  to  tell  stories  to  us.  It  might  easily  be  seen, 
too,  that  we  were  rich,  for  the  other  trees  were  clothed  with 
leaves  only  during  the  summer,  whereas  our  family  could  afford 
to  wear  green  clothes  both  summer  and  winter.  But  at  last 
came  the  wood-cutters  :  then  was  the  great  revolution,  and 
our  family  was  dispersed.  The  paternal  trunk  obtained  a 
situation  as  mainmast  to  a  magnificent  ship,  which  could  sail 
round  the  world  if  it  chose ;  the  boughs  were  transported  to 
various  places,  and  our  vocation  was  henceforth  to  kindle  lights 
for  low,  common  people.  Now  you  will  understand  how  it 
comes  to  pass  that  persons  of  such  high  descent  as  we  are  should 
be  living  in  a  kitchen.' 

'  To  be  sure,  mine  is  a  very  different  history,'  remarked  the 
iron  saucepan,  near  which  the  matches  were  lying.  4  From 
the  moment  I  came  into  the  world  until  now,  I  have  been 
rubbed  and  scrubbed,  and  boiled  over  and  over  again — oh,  how 
many  times  !  I  love  to  have  to  do  with  what  is  solidly  good, 
and  am  really  of  the  first  importance  in  this  house.  My  only 
recreation  is  to  stand  clean  and  bright  upon  this  mantlepiece 
after  dinner,  and  hold  some  rational  conversation  with  my 
companions.  However,  excepting  the  water-pail,  who  now 
and  then  goes  out  into  the  court,  we  all  of  us  lead  a  very  quiet 
domestic  life  here.  Our  only  newsmonger  is  the  turf-basket, 
but  he  talks  in  such  a  democratic  way  about  "  government " 
and  the  "  people  " — why,  I  assure  you,  not  long  ago,  there  was 
an  old  jar  standing  here,  who  was  so  much  shocked  by  what  he 
heard  said  that  he  fell  down  from  the  mantlepiece  and  broke 

251 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

into  a  thousand  pieces  !     That  turf -basket  is  a  Liberal,  that 's 
the  fact.' 

'  Now,  you  talk  too  much,'  interrupted  the  tinder-box, 
and  the  steel  struck  the  flint,  so  that  the 
sparks  flew  out.  '  Why  should  we  not  spend 
a  pleasant  evening  ?  ' 

4  Yes,  let  us  settle  who  is  of  highest 
rank  among  us  ! '  proposed  the  matches. 

4  Oh  no ;  for  my  part  I  would  rather 
not  speak  of  myself,'  objected  the  earthen- 
ware pitcher.  4  Suppose  we  have  an  in- 
tellectual entertainment  ?  I  will  begin  ;  I 
will  relate  something  of  everyday  life,  such 
as  we  have  all  experienced ;  one  can  easily 
transport  oneself  into  it,  and  that  is  so 
interesting!  Near  the  Baltic,  among  the 

Danish  beech-groves ' 

4  That  is  a  capital  beginning  ! '  cried  all 
the  plates  at  once  ;  4  it  will  certainly  be  just 
the  sort  of  story  for  me  ! ' 

4  Yes,  there  I  spent  my  youth  in  a  very 
quiet  family ;  the  furniture  was  rubbed, 
the  floors  were  washed,  clean  curtains  were 
hung  up  every  fortnight.' 

4  How  very  interesting  !  what  a  charm- 
ing way  you  have  of  describing  things ! ' 

'WILL    YOU    TELL   US    A  &  J      J  ~ 

STORY?' ASKED  THE  QUEEN  said    the    hair-broom.      4  Any    one    might 
guess  immediately  that  it  is  a  lady  who  is 
speaking  ;    the  tale  breathes  such  a  spirit  of  cleanliness  ! ' 

'  Very  true  ;   so  it  does  ! '  exclaimed  the  water-pail,  and  in 
the  excess  of  his  delight  he  gave  a  little  jump,  so  that  some  of 
the  water  splashed  upon  the  floor. 
252 


THE  FLYING  TRUNK 


And  the  pitcher  went  on  with  her  tale,  and  the  end  proved 
as  good  as  the  beginning. 

All  the  plates  clattered  applause,  and  the  hair-broom  took 
some  green  parsley  out  of  the  sand-hole  and  crowned  the 
pitcher,  for  he  knew  that  this  would  vex  the  others  ;  and, 
thought  he,  4  If  I  crown  her  to-day,  she  will  crown  me  to- 
morrow.' 

4  Now  I  will  dance,'  said  the 
fire-tongs,  and  accordingly  she 
did  dance,  and  oh !  it  was  won- 
derful to  see  how  high  she  threw 
one  of  her  legs  up  into  the  air  ; 
the  old  chair-cover  in  the  corner 
tore  with  horror  at  seeing  her. 
4  Am  not  I  to  be  crowned  too  ?  ' 
asked  the  tongs,  and  she  was 
crowned  forthwith. 

4  These  are  the  vulgar  rab- 
ble ! '  thought  the  matches. 

The  tea-urn  was  now  called 
upon  to  sing,  but  she  had  a  cold; 
she  said  she  could,  only  sing 
when  she  was  boiling ;  however, 
this  was  all  her  pride  and  affec- 
tation. The  fact  was  she  never 

cared  to  sing  except  when  she  was  standing  on  the  parlour- 
table  before  company. 

On  the  window-ledge  lay  an  old  quill-pen,  with  which  the 
maids  used  to  write  ;  there  was  nothing  remarkable  about  her, 
except  that  she  had  been  dipped  too  low  in  the  ink  ;  however, 
she  was  proud  of  that.  4  If  the  tea-urn  does  not  choose  to 
sing,'  quoth  she,  4  she  may  let  it  alone ;  there  is  a  nightingale 

253 


BUT    LET    IT    MAKE    US    LAUGH, 
SAID    THE    KINO 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

in  the  cage  hung  just  outside — he  can  sing  ;  to  be  sure,  he  had 
never  learnt  the  notes — never  mind,  we  will  not  speak  evil  of 
any  one  this  evening  !  ' 

4 1  think  it  highly  indecorous,'  observed  the  tea-kettle, 
who  was  the  vocalist  of  the  kitchen,  and  a  half-brother  of  the 
tea-urn's,  '  that  a  foreign  bird  should  be  listened  to.  Is  it 
patriotic  ?  I  appeal  to  the  turf -basket.' 

'  I  am  only  vexed,'  said  the  turf -basket.  '  I  am  vexed  from 
my  inmost  soul  that  such  things  are  thought  of  at  all.  Is  it  a 
becoming  way  of  spending  the  evening  ?  Would  it  not  be 
much  more  rational  to  reform  the  whole  house,  and  establish 
a  totally  new  order  of  things,  rather  more  according  to  nature  ? 
Then  every  one  would  get  into  his  right  place,  and  I  would 
undertake  to  direct  the  revolution.  What  say  you  to  it  ? 
That  would  be  something  worth  the  doing  !  ' 

4  Oh  yes,  we  will  make  a  grand  commotion  !  '  cried  they  all. 
Just  then  the  door  opened — it  was  the  servant-maid.  They 
all  stood  perfectly  still,  not  one  dared  stir,  yet  there  was  not  a 
single  kitchen  utensil  among  them  all  but  was  thinking  about 
the  great  things  he  could  have  done,  and  how  great  was  his 
superiority  over  the  others. 

4  Ah,  if  I  had  chosen  it,'  thought  each  of  them,  4  what  a 
merry  evening  we  might  have  had  !  ' 

The  maid  took  the  matches  and  struck  a  light — oh,  how 
they  sputtered  and  blazed  up  ! 

4  Now  every  one  may  see,'  thought  they,  4  that  we  are  of 
highest  rank ;  what  a  splendid,  dazzling  light  we  give,  how 
glorious  !  ' — and  in  another  moment  they  were  burnt  out. 

4  That  is  a  capital  story,'  said  the  Queen ;    4 1  quite  felt 
myself  transported  into  the  kitchen  ; — yes,  thou  shalt  have  our 
daughter ! ' 
254 


THE  FLYING  TRUNK 

'  With  all  my  heart,'  said  the  King  ;  4  on  Monday  thou  shalt 
marry  our  daughter.'  They  said  '  thou  '  to  him  now,  since  he 
was  so  soon  to  become  one  of  the  family. 

The  wedding  was  a  settled  thing ;  and  on  the  evening  pre- 
ceding, the  whole  city  was  illuminated  ;  cakes,  buns,  and  sugar- 
plums were  thrown  out  among  the  people  ;  all  the  little  boys 


THEIR    SUPPERS    FLEW    ABOUT   THEIR    EARS 


in  the  streets  stood  upon  tiptoes,  shouting   '  Hurrah  !  '   and 
whistling  through  their  fingers — it  was  famous  ! 

'  Well,  I  suppose  I  ought  to  do  my  part  too,'  thought  the 
merchant's  son,  so  he  went  and  bought  sky-rockets,  squibs, 
Catherine-wheels,  Roman-candles,  and  all  kinds  of  fireworks 

255 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

conceivable  ;   put  them  all  into  his  trunk,  and  flew  up  into  the 
air,  letting  them  off  as  he  flew. 

Hurrah  !  what  a  glorious  sky-rocket  was  that ! 

All  the  Turks  jumped  up  to  look,  so  hastily  that  their 
slippers  flew  about  their  ears ;  such  a  meteor  they  had  never 
seen  before.  Now  they  might  be  sure  that  it  was  indeed  the 
prophet  who  was  to  marry  their  Princess. 

As  soon  as  the  merchant's  son  had  returned  in  his  trunk  to 
the  wood,  he  said  to  himself,  '  I  will  now  go  into  the  city  and 
hear  what  people  say  about  me,  and  what  sort  of  figure  I  made 
in  the  air.'  And,  certainly,  this  was  a  very  natural  idea. 

Oh,  what  strange  accounts  were  given  !  Every  one  whom 
he  accosted  had  beheld  the  bright  vision  in  a  way  peculiar  to 
himself,  but  all  agreed  that  it  was  marvellously  beautiful. 

4 1  saw  the  great  prophet  with  my  own  eyes,'  declared  one  ; 
4  he  had  eyes  like  sparkling  stars,  and  a  beard  like  foaming 
water.' 

1  He  flew  enveloped  in  a  mantle  of  fire,'  said  another ;  4  the 
prettiest  little  cherubs  were  peeping  forth  from  under  its  folds.' 

Yes  ;  he  heard  of  many  beautiful  things,  and  the  morrow 
was  to  be  his  wedding-day. 

He  now  went  back  to  the  wood,  intending  to  get  into  his 
trunk  again,  but  where  was  it  ? 

Alas  !  the  trunk  was  burnt.  One  spark  from  the  fireworks 
had  been  left  in  it,  and  set  it  on  fire ;  the  trunk  now  lay  in 
ashes.  The  poor  merchant's  son  could  never  fly  again — could 
never  again  visit  his  bride. 

She  sat  the  livelong  day  upon  the  roof  of  her  palace  ex- 
pecting him  ;  she  expects  him  still ;  he,  meantime,  goes  about 
the  world  telling  stories,  but  none  of  his  stories  now  are  so 
pleasant  as  that  one  which  he  related  in  the  Princess's  palace 
about  the  Brimstone  Matches. 
256 


She  sat  the  live-long  day  upon  the  roof  of  her  palace,  expecting  him 


THE  LEAPING  MATCH 

THE  flea,  the  grasshopper,  and  the  frog  once  wanted  to 
try  which  of  them  could  jump  highest ;  so  they  invited 
the  whole  world,  and  anybody  else  who  liked,  to  come 
and  see  the  grand  sight.  Three  famous  jumpers  were  they,  as 
was  seen  by  every  one  when  they  met  together  in  the  room. 

4 1  will  give  my  daughter  to  him  who  shall  jump  highest/ 
said  the  King  ;  '  it  would  be  too  bad  for  you  to  have  the  trouble 
of  jumping,  and  for  us  to  offer  you  no  prize.' 

The  flea  was  the  first  to  introduce  himself ;  he  had  such 
polite  manners,  and  bowed  to  the  company  on  every  side,  for 
he  was  of  noble  blood  ;  besides,  he  was  accustomed  to  the 
society  of  man,  which  had  been  a  great  advantage  to  him. 

Next  came  the  grasshopper ;  he  was  not  quite  so  slightly 
and  elegantly  formed  as  the  flea ;  however,  he  knew  perfectly 
well  how  to  conduct  himself,  and  wore  a  green  uniform,  which 
belonged  to  him  by  right  of  birth.  Moreover,  he  declared 
himself  to  have  sprung  from  a  very  ancient  and  honourable 
Egyptian  family,  and  that  in  his  present  home  he  was  very 
highly  esteemed,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  he  had  been  taken 
out  of  the  field  and  put  into  a  card-house  three  stories  high,, 
built  on  purpose  for  him,  and  all  of  court-cards,  the  coloured 
sides  being  turned  inwards  :  as  for  the  doors  and  windows  in 
his  house,  they  were  cut  out  of  the  body  of  the  Queen  of  Hearts. 
'  And  I  can  sing  so  well,'  ddded  he,  c  that  sixteen  parlour-bred 
crickets,  who  have  chirped  and  chirped  ever  since  they  were: 
258 


THE  LEAPING  MATCH 


born  and  yet  could  never  get  anybody  to  build  them  a  card- 
house,  after  hearing  me  have  fretted  themselves  ten  times 
thinner  than  ever,  out  of  sheer  envy 
and  vexation  !  '  Both  the  flea  and 
the  grasshopper  knew  excellently  well 
how  to  make  the  most  of  themselves, 
and  each  considered  himself  quite  an 
equal  match  for  a  princess. 

The  frog  said  not  a  word ;  how- 
ever, it  might  be  that  he  thought  the 
more,  and  the  house-dog,  after  going 
snuffing  about  him,  confessed  that  the 
frog  must  be  of  a  good  family.  And 
the  old  councillor,  who  in  vain  re- 
ceived three  orders  to  hold  his  tongue, 
declared  that  the  frog  must  be  gifted 
with  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  for  that 
one  could  read  on  his  back  whether 
there  was  to  be  a  severe  or  a  mild 
winter,  which,  to  be  sure,  is  more  than 
can  be  read  on  the  back  of  the  man 
who  writes  the  weather  almanack. 

4  Ah,  I  say  nothing  for  the  pre- 
sent ! '  remarked  the  old  King,  '  but  I 
observe  everything,  and  form  my  own 
private  opinion  thereupon.'  And  now 
the  match  began.  The  flea  jumped 
so  high  that  no  one  could  see  what 
had  become  of  him,  and  so  they  in- 
sisted that  he  had  not  jumped  at  all,  '  which  was  disgraceful, 
after  he  had  made  such  a  fuss  ! ' 

The  grasshopper  only  jumped  half  as  high,  but  he  jumped 

259 


THE    OLD    COUNCILLOR 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

right  into  the  King's  face,  and  the  King  declared  he  was  quite 
disgusted  by  his  rudeness. 


'  I  SAY    NOTHING    FOR    THE    PRESENT/ 
REMARKED    THE    KING 


The  frog  stood  still  as  if  lost  in  thought;    at  last  people 
fancied  he  did  not  intend  to  jump  at  all. 

'  I  'm  afraid  he  is  ill ! '  said  the  dog ;   and  he  went  snuffing 
260 


THE  LEAPING  MATCH 

at  him  again,  when  lo  !  all  at  once  he  made  a  little  side-long 
jump  into  the  lap  of  the  Princess,  who  was  sitting  on  a  low  stool 
close  by. 

Then  spoke  the  King  :  '  There  is  nothing  higher  than  my 
daughter,  therefore  he  who  jumps 
up  to  her  jumps  highest;  but  only 
a  person  of  good  understanding 
would  ever  have  thought  of  that, 
and  thus  the  frog  has  shown  us 
that  he  has  understanding.  He  has 
brains  in  his  head,  that  he  has  !  ' 

And  thus  the  frog  won  the 
Princess. 

4 1  jumped  highest  for  all  that !  J 
exclaimed  the  flea.  '  But  it  *s  all 
the  same  to  me ;  let  her  have  the 
stiff-legged,  slimy  creature,  if  she 
like  him  !  I  jumped  highest,  but  I 
am  too  light  and  airy  for  this  stupid 
world;  the  people  can  neither  see 
me  nor  catch  me;  dulness  and  heavi- 
ness win  the  day  with  them  !  ' 

And  so  the  flea  went  into  foreign 
service, where,  it  is  said,  he  was  killed. 

And  the  grasshopper  sat  on  a 
green  bank,  meditating  on  the 

world  and  its  goings  on,  and  at  length  he  repeated  the  flea's 
last  words — *  Yes,  dulness  and  heaviness  win  the  day  !  dulness 
and  heaviness  win  the  day  ! '  And  then  he  again  began  singing 
his  own  peculiar,  melancholy  song,  and  it  is  from  him  that  we 
have  learnt  this  history ;  and  yet,  my  friend,  though  you  read 
it  here  in  a  printed  book,  it  may  not  be  perfectly  true. 

261 


THE    SHEPHERDESS   AND    THE    CHIMNEY-SWEEPER 


THE  SHEPHERDESS  AND  THE  CHIMNEY- 
SWEEPER 

HAVE  you  never  seen  an  old-fashioned  oaken-wood 
cabinet,  quite  black  with  age  and  covered  with 
varnish  and  carving- work  ?  Just  such  a  piece  of 
furniture,  an  old  heir-loom  that  had  been  the  property  of 
its  present  mistress's  great-grandmother,  once  stood  in  a 
parlour.  It  was  carved  from  top  to  bottom — roses,  tulips, 
and  little  stags'  heads  with  long,  branching  antlers,  peering 
forth  from  the  curious  scrolls  and  foliage  surrounding  them. 
Moreover,  in  the  centre  panel  of  the  cabinet  was  carved 
the  full-length  figure  of  a  man,  who  seemed  to  be  perpetually 
grinning,  perhaps  at  himself,  for  in  truth  he  was  a  most 
ridiculous  figure  ;  he  had  crooked  legs,  small  horns  on  his  fore- 
head, and  a  long  beard.  The  children  of  the  house  used  to 
call  him  '  the  crooked-legged  Field-marshal-Maj  or- General- 
Corporal-Sergeant,'  for  this  was  a  long,  hard  name,  and  not 
many  figures,  whether  carved  in  wood  or  in  stone,  could 
boast  of  such  a  title.  There  he  stood,  his  eyes  always  fixed 
upon  the  table  under  the  pier-glass,  for  on  this  table  stood 
a  pretty  little  porcelain  shepherdess,  her  mantle  gathered 

263 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

gracefully  round  her,  and  fastened  with  a  red  rose ;  her  shoes 
and  hat  were  gilt,  her  hand  held  a  crook — oh,  she  was  charm- 
ing !  Close  by  her  stood  a  little  chimney-sweeper,  likewise  of 
porcelain.  He  was  as  clean  and  neat  as  any  of  the  other  figures, 
indeed,  the  manufacturer  might  just  as  well  have  made  a  prince 
as  a  chimney-sweeper  of  him,  for  though  elsewhere  black  as  a 
coal,  his  face  was  as  fresh  and  rosy  as  a  girl's,  which  was 
certainly  a  mistake, — it  ought  to  have  been  black.  His 
ladder  in  his  hand,  there  he  kept  his  station,  close  by  the  little 
shepherdess ;  they  had  been  placed  together  from  the  first, 
had  always  remained  on  the  same  spot,  and  had  thus  plighted 
their  troth  to  each  other  ;  they  suited  each  other  so  well,  they 
were  both  young  people,  both  of  the  same  kind  of  porcelain, 
both  alike  fragile  and  delicate. 

Not  far  off  stood  a  figure  three  times  as  large  as  the  others. 
It  was  an  old  Chinese  mandarin  who  could  nod  his  head ;  he 
too  was  of  porcelain,  and  declared  that  he  was  grandfather  to 
the  little  shepherdess.  He  could  not  prove  his  assertion  ; 
however,  he  insisted  that  he  had  authority  over  her,  and 
so,  when  '  the  crooked -legged  Field -marshal -Major -General- 
Corporal-Sergeant  made  proposals  to  the  little  shepherdess, 
he  nodded  his  head  in  token  of  his  consent. 

4  Now,  you  will  have  a  husband,'  said  the  old  mandarin  to 
her,  '  a  husband  who,  I  verily  believe,  is  of  mahogany- wood ; 
you  will  be  the  wife  of  a  Field-marshal-Major-General-Corporal- 
Sergeant,  of  a  man  who  has  a  whole  cabinet  full  of  silverplate, 
besides  a  store  of  no  one  knows  what  in  the  secret  drawers  ! ' 

'  I  will  not  go  into  that  dismal  cabinet ! '  declared  the  little 
shepherdess.  4 1  have  heard  say  that  eleven  porcelain  ladies 
are  already  imprisoned  there.' 

'  Then  you  shall  be  the  twelfth,  and  you  will  be  in  good 
company  ! '  rejoined  the  mandarin.  4  This  very  night,  when 
264 


SHEPHERDESS  AND  CHIMNEY-SWEEPER 

the  old  cabinet  creaks,  your  nuptials  shall  be  celebrated,  as 
sure  as  I  am  a  Chinese  mandarin  ! ' 

Whereupon  he  nodded  his  head  and  fell  asleep. 

But  the  little  sheperdess  wept,  and  turned  to  the  beloved 
of  her  heart,  the  porcelain  chimney-sweep. 

4 1  believe  I  must  ask  you,5  said  she,  4  to  go  out  with  me  into 
the  wide  world,  for  here  we  cannot  stay.' 

4  I  will  do  everything  you  wish,'  replied  the  little  chimney- 
sweeper ;  '  let  us  go  at  once.  I  think  I  can  support  you  by 
my  profession.' 

4  If  you  could  but  get  off  the  table  ! '  sighed  she ;  4 1  shall 
never  be  happy  till  we  are  away,  out  in  the  wide  world.' 

And  he  comforted  her,  and  showed  her  how  to  set  her  little 
foot  on  the  carved  edges  and  gilded  foliage  twining  round  the 
leg  of  the  table,  till  at  last  they  reached  the  floor.  But  turning 
to  look  at  the  old  cabinet,  they  saw  everything  in  a  grand  com- 
motion, all  the  carved  stags  putting  their  little  heads  farther 
out,  raising  their  antlers,  and  moving  their  throats,  whilst 
4  the  crooked-legged  Field -marshal -Major -General -Corporal- 
Sergeant*  sprang  up,  and  shouted  out  to  the  old  Chinese 
mandarin,  4  Look,  they  are  eloping !  they  are  eloping !  ' 
They  were  not  a  little  frightened,  and  quickly  jumped  into  an 
open  drawer  for  protection. 

In  this  drawer  there  were  three  or  four  incomplete  packs 
of  cards,  and  also  a  little  puppet-theatre ;  a  play  was  being 
performed,  and  all  the  queens,  whether  of  diamonds,  hearts, 
clubs,  or  spades,  sat  in  the  front  row  fanning  themselves  with 
the  flowers  they  held  in  their  hands ;  behind  them  stood  the 
knaves,  showing  that  they  had  each  two  heads,  one  above 
and  one  below,  as  most  cards  have.  The  play  was  about  two 
persons  who  were  crossed  in  love,  and  the  shepherdess  wept 
over  it,  for  it  was  just  like  her  own  history. 

265 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

'  I  cannot  bear  this  !  '  said  she.  l  Let  us  leave  the  drawer.' 
But  when  they  had  again  reached  the  floor,  on  looking  up 
at  the  table,  they  saw  that  the  old  Chinese  mandarin  had 
awakened,  and  was  rocking  his  whole  body  to  and  fro  with 
rage. 

4  Oh,  the  old  mandarin  is  coming !  '  cried  the  little 
shepherdess,  and  down  she  fell  on  her  porcelain  knees  in  the 
greatest  distress.  '  A  sudden  thought  has  struck  me,'  said 
the  chimney-sweeper :  4  suppose  we  creep  into  the  large  pot- 
pourri vase  that  stands  in  the  corner ;  there  we  can  rest  upon 
roses  and  lavender,  and  throw  salt  in  his  eyes  if  he  come  near 
us.' 

'  That  will  not  do  at  all,'  said  she  ;  '  besides,  I  know  that 
the  old  mandarin  was  once  betrothed  to  the  pot-pourri  vase, 
and  no  doubt  there  is  still  some  slight  friendship  existing 
between  them.  No,  there  is  no  help  for  it,  we  must  wander 
forth  together  into  the  wide  world.' 

4  Hast  thou  indeed  the  courage  to  go  with  me  into  the  wide 
world  ? '  asked  the  chimney-sweeper.  '  Hast  thou  con- 
sidered how  large  it  is,  and  that  we  may  never  return  home 
again  ?  ' 

6 1  have,'  replied  she. 

And  the  chimney-sweeper  looked  keenly  at  her,  and  then 
said,  '  My  path  leads  through  the  chimney  !  hast  thou  indeed 
the  courage  to  creep  with  me  through  the  stove,  through  the 
flues  and  the  tunnel  ?  Well  do  I  know  the  way !  We  shall 
mount  up  so  high  that  they  cannot  come  near  us,  and  at  the 
top  there  is  a  cavern  that  leads  into  the  wide  world.' 

And  he  led  her  to  the  door  of  the  stove. 

*  Oh,  how  black  it  looks  !  '  sighed  she  ;   however,  she  went 
on  with  him,  through  the  flues  and  through  the  tunnel,  where 
it  was  dark,  pitch  dark. 
266 


SHEPHERDESS  AND  CHIMNEY-SWEEPER 

'  Now  we  are  in  the  chimney,'  said  he  ;  '  and  look,  what  a 
lovely  star  shines  above  us  ! ' 

And  there  was  actually  a  star  in  the  sky,  shining  right  down 
upon  them,  as  if  to  show  them  the  way.  And  they  crawled 
and  crept — a  fearful  path  was  theirs — so  high,  so  very  high  ! 
but  he  guided  and  supported  her,  and  showed  her  the  best 
places  whereon  to  plant  her  tiny  porcelain  feet,  till  they 
reached  the  edge  of  the  chimney,  where  they  sat  down  to 
rest,  for  they  were  very  tired,  and  indeed  not  without 
reason. 

Heaven  with  all  its  stars  was  above  them,  and  the  town 
with  all  its  roofs  lay  beneath  them ;  the  wide,  wide  world 
surrounded  them.  The  poor  shepherdess  had  never  imagined 
all  this ;  she  leant  her  little  head  on  her  chimney-sweeper's 
arm,  and  wept  so  vehemently  that  the  gilding  broke  off  from 
her  waistband. 

'  This  is  too  much  !  '  exclaimed  she.  '  This  can  I  not 
endure  !  The  world  is  all  too  large  !  Oh  that  I  were  once 
more  upon  the  little  table  under  the  pier-glass  !  I  shall  never 
be  happy  till  I  am  there  again.  I  have  followed  thee  out  into 
the  wide  world,  surely  thou  canst  follow  me  home  again,  if 
thou  lovest  me  ! ' 

And  the  chimney-sweeper  talked  very  sensibly  to  her, 
reminding  her  of  the  old  Chinese  mandarin  and  '  the  crooked- 
legged  Field -marshal -Major -General -Corporal -Sergeant,'  but 
she  wept  so  bitterly,  and  kissed  her  little  chimney-sweep  so 
fondly,  that  at  last  he  could  not  but  yield  to  her  request,  un- 
reasonable as  it  was. 

So  with  great  difficulty  they  crawled  down  the  chimney, 
crept  through  the  flues  and  the  tunnel,  and  at  length  found 
themselves  once  more  in  the  dark  stove  ;  but  they  still  lurked 
behind  the  door,  listening,  before  they  would  venture  to  return 

267 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

into  the  room.  Everything  was  quite  still ;  they  peeped  out : 
alas !  on  the  ground  lay  the  old  Chinese  mandarin.  In 
attempting  to  follow  the  runaways,  he  had  fallen  down  off 
the  table  and  had  broken  into  three  pieces  ;  his  head  lay  shak- 
ing in  a  corner ;  '  the  crooked-legged  Field-marshal-Major- 
General-Corporal-Sergeant '  stood  where  he  had  always  stood, 
thinking  over  what  had  happened. 

'  Oh,  how  shocking !  '  exclaimed  the  little  shepherdess ; 
4  old  grandfather  is  broken  in  pieces,  and  we  are  the  cause  !  I 
shall  never  survive  it !  '  and  she  wrung  her  delicate  hands. 

1  He  can  be  put  together  again,'  replied  the  chimney- 
sweeper. '  He  can  very  easily  be  put  together ;  only  be  not 
so  impatient !  If  they  glue  his  back  together,  and  put  a  strong 
rivet  in  his  neck,  then  he  will  be  as  good  as  new  again,  and  will 
be  able  to  say  plenty  of  unpleasant  things  to  us.' 

'  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  '  asked  she.  And  then  they 
climbed  up  the  table  to  the  place  where  they  had  stood  before. 

'  See  how  far  we  have  been ! '  observed  the  chimney-sweeper, 
'  we  might  have  spared  ourselves  all  the  trouble.' 

'  If  we  could  but  have  old  grandfather  put  together ! ' 
said  the  shepherdess.  '  Will  it  cost  very  much  ?  ' 

And  he  was  put  together ;  the  family  had  his  back  glued 
and  his  neck  riveted ;  he  was  as  good  as  new,  but  could  no 
longer  nod  his  head. 

'  You  have  certainly  grown  very  proud  since  you  broke  in 
pieces !  '  remarked  the  crooked-legged  Field-marshal-Major- 
General- Corporal- Sergeant,  '  but  I  must  say,  for  my  part,  I 
do  not  see  that  there  is  anything  to  be  proud  of.  Am  I  to  have 
her  or  am  I  not  ?  Just  answer  me  that !  ' 

And  the  chimney-sweeper  and  the  little  shepherdess  looked 
imploringly  at  the  old  mandarin  ;   they  were  so  afraid  lest  he 
should  nod  his  head.    But  nod  he  could  not,  and  it  was  dis- 
268 


SHEPHERDESS  AND  CHIMNEY-SWEEPER 

agreeable  to  him  to  tell  a  stranger  that  he  had  a  rivet  in  his 
neck :  so  the  young  porcelain  people  always  remained  together ; 
they  blessed  the  grandfather's  rivet,  and  loved  each  other  till 
they  broke  in  pieces. 


269 


THE    POOR    DUCKLING    WAS    SCORNED    BY    ALL 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

IT  was  beautiful  in  the  country,  it  was  summer-time;  the 
wheat  was  yellow,  the  oats  were  green,  the  hay  was 
stacked  up  in  the  green  meadows,  and  the  stork  paraded 
about  on  his  long  red  legs,  discoursing  in  Egyptian,  which 
language  he  had  learned  from  his  mother.  The  fields  and 
meadows  were  skirted  by  thick  woods,  and  a  deep  lake  lay  in 
the  midst  of  the  woods. — Yes,  it  was  indeed  beautiful  in  the 
country !  The  sunshine  fell  warmly  on  an  old  mansion,  sur- 
rounded by  deep  canals,  and  from  the  walls  down  to  the 
water's  edge  there  grew  large  burdock-leaves,  so  high  that 
children  could  stand  upright  among  them  without  being  per- 
ceived. This  place  was  as  wild  and  unfrequented  as  the 
thickest  part  of  the  wood,  and  on  that  account  a  duck  had 
chosen  to  make  her  nest  there.  She  was  sitting  on  her  eggs ; 
but  the  pleasure  she  had  felt  at  first  was  now  almost  gone, 
because  she  had  been  there  so  long,  and  had  so  few  visitors, 
for  the  other  ducks  preferred  swimming  on  the  canals  to  sitting 
among  the  burdock-leaves  gossiping  with  her. 

At  last  the  eggs  cracked  one  after  another,  '  Tchick 
tchick !  '  All  the  eggs  were  alive,  and  one  little  head  after 
another  appeared.  '  Quack,  quack,'  said  the  duck,  and  all  got 
up  as  well  as  they  could ;  they  peeped  about  from  under  the 
green  leaves,  and  as  green  is  good  for  the  eyes,  their  mother 
let  them  look  as  long  as  they  pleased. 

4  How  large  the  world  is  !  '  said  the  little  ones,  for  they 

271 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

found  their  present  situation  very  different  to  their  former 
confined  one,  while  yet  in  the  egg-shells. 

4  Do  you  imagine  this  to  be  the  whole  of  the  world  ?  '  said 
the  mother ;  '  it  extends  far  beyond  the  other  side  of  the  garden, 
to  the  pastor's  field  ;  but  I  have  never  been  there.  Are  you  all 
here  ?  '  And  then  she  got  up.  4  No,  I  have  not  got  you  all, 
the  largest  egg  is  still  here.  How  long  will  this  last  ?  I  am 
so  weary  of  it !  '  And  then  she  sat  down  again. 

'  Well,  and  how  are  you  getting  on  ?  '  asked  an  old  duck, 
who  had  come  to  pay  her  a  visit. 

4  This  one  egg  keeps  me  so  long,'  said  the  mother,  '  it  will 
not  break.  But  you  should  see  the  others ;  they  are  the 
prettiest  little  ducklings  I  have  seen  in  all  my  days  ;  they  are 
all  like  their  father, — the  good-for-nothing  fellow !  he  has  not 
been  to  visit  me  once.' 

'  Let  me  see  the  egg  that  will  not  break,'  said  the  old  duck ; 
'  depend  upon  it,  it  is  a  turkey's  egg.  I  was  cheated  in  the 
same  way  once  myself,  and  I  had  such  trouble  with  the  young 
ones ;  for  they  were  afraid  of  the  water,  and  I  could  not  get 
them  there.  I  called  and  scolded,  but  it  was  all  of  no  use. 
But  let  me  see  the  egg — ah  yes  !  to  be  sure,  that  is  a  turkey's 
egg.  Leave  it,  and  teach  the  other  little  ones  to  swim.' 

4 1  will  sit  on  it  a  little  longer,'  said  the  duck.  4 1  have 
been  sitting  so  long,  that  I  may  as  well  spend  the  harvest  here.' 

4  It  is  no  business  of  mine,'  said  the  old  duck,  and  away  she 
waddled. 

The  great  egg  burst  at  last,  4  Tchick,  tchick,'  said  the  little 
one,  and  out  it  tumbled — but  oh,  how  large  and  ugly  it  was  ! 
The  duck  looked  at  it,  4  That  is  a  great,  strong  creature,'  said 
she,  4  none  of  the  others  are  at  all  like  it ;  can  it  be  a  young 
turkey-cock  ?  Well,  we  shall  soon  find  out,  it  must  go  into  the 
water,  though  I  push  it  in  myself ! 
272 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

The  next  day  there  was  delightful  weather,  and  the  sun 
shone  warmly  upon  all  the  green  leaves  when  mother-duck  with 
all  her  family  went  down  to  the  canal ;  plump  she  went  into 
the  water,  '  Quack,  quack,'  cried  she,  and  one  duckling  after 
another  jumped  in.  The  water  closed  over  their  heads,  but  all 
came  up  again,  and  swam  together  in  the  pleasantest  manner  ; 
their  legs  moved  without  effort.  All  were  there,  even  the  ugly 
grey  one. 

'  No  !  it  is  not  a  turkey,'  said  the  old  duck  ;  '  only  see  how 
prettily  it  moves  its  legs,  how  upright  it  holds  itself ;  it  is  my 
own  child  !  it  is  also  really  very  pretty  when  one  looks  more 
closely  at  it ;  quack,  quack,  now  come  with  me,  I  will  take  you 
into  the  world,  introduce  you  in  the  duck-yard  ;  but  keep  close 
to  me,  or  some  one  may  tread  on  you,  and  beware  of  the  cat.' 

So  they  came  into  the  duck-yard.  There  was  a  horrid 
noise ;  two  families  were  quarrelling  about  the  remains  of  an 
eel,  which  in  the  end  was  secured  by  the  cat. 

4  See,  my  children,  such  is  the  way  of  the  world,'  said  the 
mother-duck,  wiping  her  beak,  for  she  too  was  fond  of  roasted 
eels.  '  Now  use  your  legs,'  said  she,  '  keep  together,  and  bow 
to  the  old  duck  you  see  yonder.  She  is  the  most  distinguished 
of  all  the  fowls  present,  and  is  of  Spanish  blood,  which  accounts 
for  her  dignified  appearance  and  manners.  And  look,  she  has 
a  red  rag  on  her  leg ;  that  is  considered  extremely  handsome, 
and  is  the  greatest  distinction  a  duck  can  have.  Don't  turn 
your  feet  inwards ;  a  well-educated  duckling  always  keeps  his 
legs  far  apart,  like  his  father  and  mother,  just  so— look,  now 
bow  your  necks,  and  say  "  quack." 

And  they  did  as  they  were  told.     But  the  other  ducks  who 

were  in  the  yard  looked  at  them  and  said  aloud,  '  Only  see, 

now  we  have  another  brood,  as  if  there  were  not  enough  of  us 

already.    And  fie  !   how  ugly  that  one  is !    We  will  not  endure 

S  273 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

it ' ;  and  immediately  one  of  the  ducks  flew  at  him,  and  bit 
him  in  the  neck. 

'  Leave  him  alone,'  said  the  mother, '  he  is  doing  no  one  any 
harm.' 

4  Yes,  but  he  is  so  large,  and  so  strange-looking,  and  there- 
fore he  shall  be  teased.' 

4  Those  are  fine  children  that  our  good  mother  has,'  said  the 
old  duck  with  the  red  rag  on  her  leg.  '  All  are  pretty  except 
one,  and  that  has  not  turned  out  well ;  I  almost  wish  it  could 
be  hatched  over  again.' 

4  That  cannot  be,  please  your  highness,'  said  the  mother. 
4  Certainly  he  is  not  handsome,  but  he  is  a  very  good  child,  and 
swims  as  well  as  the  others,  indeed  rather  better.  I  think  he 
will  grow  like  the  others  all  in  good  time,  and  perhaps  will  look 
smaller.  He  stayed  so  long  in  the  egg-shell,  that  is  the  cause 
of  the  difference,'  and  she  scratched  the  duckling's  neck,  and 
stroked  his  whole  body.  4  Besides,'  added  she,  4  he  is  a  drake  ; 
I  think  he  will  be  very  strong,  therefore  it  does  not  matter  so 
much ;  he  will  fight  his  way  through.' 

4  The  other  ducks  are  very  pretty,'  said  the  old  duck,  4  pray 
make  yourselves  at  home,  and  if  you  find  an  eel's  head  you  can 
bring  it  to  me.' 

And  accordingly  they  made  themselves  at  home. 

But  the  poor  little  duckling,  who  had  come  last  out  of  its 
egg-shell,  and  who  was  so  ugly,  was  bitten,  pecked,  and  teased 
by  both  ducks  and  hens.  4  It  is  so  large,'  said  they  all.  And 
the  turkey-cock,  who  had  come  into  the  world  with  spurs  on, 
and  therefore  fancied  he  was  an  emperor,  puffed  himself  up 
like  a  ship  in  full  sail,  and  marched  up  to  the  duckling  quite 
red  with  passion.  The  poor  little  thing  scarcely  knew  what  to 
do ;  he  was  quite  distressed,  because  he  was  so  ugly,  and 
because  he  was  the  jest  of  the  poultry-yard. 
274 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

So  passed  the  first  day,  and  afterwards  matters  grew  worse 
and  worse  ;  the  poor  duckling  was  scorned  by  all.  Even  his 
brothers  and  sisters  behaved  unkindly,  and  were  constantly 
saying,  '  The  cat  fetch  thee,  thou  nasty  creature !  '  The 
mother  said,  '  Ah,  if  thou  wert  only  far  away  !  '  The  ducks 


HE    CAME    TO    A    WIDE    MOOR 


bit  him,  the  hens  pecked  him,  and  the  girl  who  fed  the  poultry 
kicked  him.  He  ran  over  the  hedge  ;  the  little  birds  in  the 
bushes  were  terrified.  '  That  is  because  I  am  so  ugly,'  thought 
the  duckling,  shutting  his  eyes,  but  he  ran  on.  At  last  he  came 
to  a  wide  moor,  where  lived  some  wild  ducks  ;  here  he  lay  the 
whole  night,  so  tired  and  so  comfortless.  In  the  morning  the 

275 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

wild  ducks  flew  up,  and  perceived  their  new  companion.  '  Pray, 
who  are  you  ?  '  asked  they ;  and  our  little  duckling  turned  him- 
self in  all  directions,  and  greeted  them  as  politely  as  possible. 

'  You  are  really  uncommonly  ugly,'  said  the  wild  ducks  ; 
4  however  that  does  not  matter  to  us,  provided  you  do  not 
marry  into  our  families.'  Poor  thing  !  he  had  never  thought 
of  marrying  ;  he  only  begged  permission  to  lie  among  the  reeds, 
and  drink  the  water  of  the  moor. 

There  he  lay  for  two  whole  days — on  the  third  day  there 
came  two  wild  geese,  or  rather  ganders,  who  had  not  been  long 
out  of  their  egg-shells,  which  accounts  for  their  impertinence. 

'  Hark  ye,'  said  they,  '  you  are  so  ugly  that  we  like  you 
infinitely  well ;  will  you  come  with  us,  and  be  a  bird  of  passage  ? 
On  another  moor,  not  far  from  this,  are  some  dear,  sweet,  wild 
geese,  as  lovely  creatures  as  have  ever  said  "  hiss,  hiss."  You 
are  truly  in  the  way  to  make  your  fortune,  ugly  as  you  are.' 

Bang  !  a  gun  went  off  all  at  once,  and  both  wild  geese  were 
stretched  dead  among  the  reeds ;  the  water  became  red  with 
blood ; — bang !  a  gun  went  off  again,  whole  flocks  of  wild  geese 
flew  up  from  among  the  reeds,  and  another  report  followed. 

There  was  a  grand  hunting  party  :  the  hunters  lay  in 
ambush  all  around  ;  some  were  even  sitting  in  the  trees,  whose 
huge  branches  stretched  far  over  the  moor.  The  blue  smoke 
rose  through  the  thick  trees  like  a  mist,  and  was  dispersed  as 
it  fell  over  the  water ;  the  hounds  splashed  about  in  the  mud, 
the  reeds  and  rushes  bent  in  all  directions.  How  frightened  the 
poor  little  duck  was  !  He  turned  his  head,  thinking  to  hide  it 
under  his  wings,  and  in  a  moment  a  most  formidable-looking 
dog  stood  close  to  him,  his  tongue  hanging  out  of  his  mouth, 
his  eyes  sparkling  fearfully.  He  opened  wide  his  jaws  at  the 
sight  of  our  duckling,  showed  him  his  sharp  white  teeth,  and, 
splash,  splash  !  he  was  gone,  gone  without  hurting  him. 
276 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

'  Well !  let  me  be  thankful,'  sighed  he,  '  I  am  so  ugly,  that 
even  the  dog  will  not  eat  me.' 

And  now  he  lay  still,  though  the  shooting  continued  among 
the  reeds,  shot  following  shot. 

The  noise  did  not  cease  till  late  in  the  day,  and  even  then 
the  poor  little  thing  dared  not  stir ;  he  waited  several  hours 
before  he  looked  around  him,  and  then  hastened  away  from  the 
moor  as  fast  as  he  could.  He  ran  over  fields  and  meadows,  though 
the  wind  was  so  high  that  he  had  some  difficulty  in  proceeding. 

Towards  evening  he  reached  a  wretched  little  hut,  so 
wretched  that  it  knew  not  on  which  side  to  fall,  and  therefore 
remained  standing.  The  wind  blew  violently,  so  that  our  poor 
little  duckling  was  obliged  to  support  himself  on  his  tail,  in 
order  to  stand  against  it ;  but  it  became  worse  and  worse. 
He  then  remarked  that  the  door  had  lost  one  of  its  hinges,  and 
hung  so  much  awry  that  he  could  creep  through  the  crevice  into 
the  room,  which  he  did. 

In  this  room  lived  an  old  woman,  with  her  tom-cat  and  her 
hen  ;  and  the  cat,  whom  she  called  her  little  son,  knew  how  to 
set  up  his  back  and  purr ;  indeed  he  could  even  emit  sparks 
when  stroked  the  wrong  way.  The  hen  had  very  short  legs, 
and  was  therefore  called  '  Cuckoo  Shortlegs  '  ;  she  laid  very 
good  eggs,  and  the  old  woman  loved  her  as  her  own  child. 

The  next  morning  the  new  guest  was  perceived ;  the  cat 
began  to  mew,  and  the  hen  to  cackle. 

4  What  is  the  matter  ?  '  asked  the  old  woman,  looking 
round  ;  however,  her  eyes  were  not  good,  so  she  took  the  young 
duckling  to  be  a  fat  duck  who  had  lost  her  way.  '  This  is  a 
capital  catch,'  said  she,  '  I  shall  now  have  duck's  eggs,  if  it  be 
not  a  drake  :  we  must  try.' 

And  so  the  duckling  was  put  to  the  proof  for  three  weeks, 
but  no  eggs  made  their  appearance. 

277 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

Now  the  cat  was  the  master  of  the  house,  and  the  hen  was 
the  mistress,  and  they  used  always  to  say,  4  We  and  the  World,' 
for  they  imagined  themselves  to  be  not  only  the  half  of  the 
world,  but  also  by  far  the  better  half.  The  duckling  thought  it 
was  possible  to  be  of  a  different  opinion,  but  that  the  hen  would 
not  allow. 

4  Can  you  lay  eggs  ?  '  asked  she. 

'No.' 

4  Well,  then,  hold  your  tongue.' 

And  the  cat  said,  c  Can  you  set  up  your  back  ?  can  you 
purr  ?  ' 

'No.' 

4  Well,  then,  you  should  have  no  opinion  when  reasonable 
persons  are  speaking.' 

So  the  duckling  sat  alone  in  a  corner,  and  was  in  a  very  bad 
humour ;  however,  he  happened  to  think  of  the  fresh  air  and 
bright  sunshine,  and  these  thoughts  gave  him  such  a  strong 
desire  to  swim  again  that  he  could  not  help  telling  it  to  the  hen. 

4  What  ails  you  ?  '  said  the  hen.  c  You  have  nothing  to 
do,  and,  therefore,  brood  over  these  fancies  ;  either  lay  eggs,  or 
purr,  then  you  will  forget  them.' 

4  But  it  is  so  delicious  to  swim,'  said  the  duckling,  4  so 
delicious  when  the  waters  close  over  your  head,  and  you  plunge 
to  the  bottom.' 

4  Well,  that  is  a  queer  sort  of  a  pleasure,'  said  the  hen ;  4 1 
think  you  must  be  crazy.  Not  to  speak  of  myself,  ask  the  cat 
— he  is  the  most  sensible  animal  I  know — whether  he  would 
like  to  swim  or  to  plunge  to  the  bottom  of  the  water.  Ask  our 
mistress,  the  old  woman — there  is  no  one  in  the  world  wiser 
than  she — do  you  think  she  would  take  pleasure  in  swimming, 
and  in  the  waters  closing  over  her  head  ?  ' 

4  You  do  not  understand  me,'  said  the  duckling. 
278 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

'  What,  we  do  not  understand  you  !  so  you  think  yourself 
wiser  than  the  cat,  and  the  old  woman,  not  to  speak  of  myself. 
Do  not  fancy  any  such  thing,  child,  but  be  thankful  for  all  the 
kindness  that  has  been  shown  you.  Are  you  not  lodged  in  a 
warm  room,  and  have  you  not  the  advantage  of  society  from 
which  you  can  learn  something  ?  But  you  are  a  simpleton, 
and  it  is  wearisome  to  have  anything  to  do  with  you.  Believe 
me,  I  wish  you  well.  I  tell  you  unpleasant  truths,  but  it  is 
thus  that  real  friendship  is  shown.  Come,  for  once  give  your- 
self the  trouble  to  learn  to  purr,  or  to  lay  eggs.' 

4 1  think  I  will  go  out  into  the  wide  world  again,'  said  the 
duckling. 

4  Well,  go,'  answered  the  hen. 

So  the  duckling  went.  He  swam  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  he  plunged  beneath,  but  all  animals  passed  him  by,  on 
account  of  his  ugliness.  And  the  autumn  came,  the  leaves 
turned  yellow  and  brown,  the  wind  caught  them  and  danced 
them  about,  the  air  was  very  cold,  the  clouds  were  heavy  with 
hail  or  snow,  and  the  raven  sat  on  the  hedge  and  croaked  : — 
the  poor  duckling  was  certainly  not  very  comfortable ! 

One  evening,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting  with  unusual 
brilliancy,  a  flock  of  large  beautiful  birds  rose  from  out  of  the 
brushwood  ;  the  duckling  had  never  seen  anything  so  beautiful 
before ;  their  plumage  was  of  a  dazzling  white,  and  they  had 
long,  slender  necks.  They  were  swans  ;  they  uttered  a  singular 
cry,  spread  out  their  long,  splendid  wings,  and  flew  away  from 
these  cold  regions  to  warmer  countries,  across  the  open  sea. 
They  flew  so  high,  so  very  high !  and  the  little  ugly  duckling's 
feelings  were  so  strange ;  he  turned  round  and  round  in  the 
water  like  a  mill-wheel,  strained  his  neck  to  look  after  them, 
and  sent  forth  such  a  loud  and  strange  cry,  that  it  almost 
frightened  himself  .—Ah  !  he  could  not  forget  them,  those  noble 

279 


AND    THE    CAT   SAID,    'CAN    YOU    PURR?' 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

birds  !  those  happy  birds  !  When  he  could  see  them  no  longer, 
he  plunged  to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  and  when  he  rose  again 
was  almost  beside  himself.  The  duckling  knew  not  what  the 
birds  were  called,  knew  not  whither  they  were  flying,  yet  he 
loved  them  as  he  had  never  before  loved  anything ;  he  envied 
them  not,  it  would  never  have  occurred  to  him  to  wish  such 
beauty  for  himself  ;  he  would  have  been  quite  contented  if  the 
duck  in  the  duck-yard  had  but  endured  his  company — the  poor 
ugly  animal ! 

And  the  winter  was  so  cold,  so  cold  !  The  duckling  was 
obliged  to  swim  round  and  round  in  the  water,  to  keep  it  from 
freezing ;  but  every  night  the  opening  in  which  he  swam 
became  smaller  and  smaller ;  it  froze  so  that  the  crust  of  ice 
crackled  ;  the  duckling  was  obliged  to  make  good  use  of  his 
legs  to  prevent  the  water  from  freezing  entirely ;  at  last, 
wearied  out,  he  lay  stiff  and  cold  in  the  ice. 

Early  in  the  morning  there  passed  by  a  peasant,  who  saw 
him,  broke  the  ice  in  pieces  with  his  wooden  shoe,  and  brought 
him  home  to  his  wife. 

He  now  revived  ;  the  children  would  have  played  with  him, 
but  our  duckling  thought  they  wished  to  tease  him,  and  in  his 
terror  jumped  into  the  milk-pail,  so  that  the  milk  was  spilled 
about  the  room  :  the  good  woman  screamed  and  clapped  her 
hands  ;  he  flew  thence  into  the  pan  where  the  butter  was  kept, 
and  thence  into  the  meal-barrel,  and  out  again,  and  then  how 
strange  he  looked  ! 

The  woman  screamed,  and  struck  at  him  with  the  tongs ;  the 
children  ran  races  with  each  other  trying  to  catch  him,  and 
laughed  and  screamed  likewise.  It  was  well  for  him  that  the 
door  stood  open ;  he  jumped  out  among  the  bushes  into  the 
new-fallen  snow — he  lay  there  as  in  a  dream. 

But  it  would  be  too  melancholy  to  relate  all  the  trouble  and 

281 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

misery  that  he  was  obliged  to  suffer  during  the  severity  of  the 
winter — he  was  lying  on  a  moor  among  the  reeds,  when  the  sun 
began  to  shine  warmly  again,  the  larks  sang,  and  beautiful 
spring  had  returned. 

And  once  more  he  shook  his  wings.  They  were  stronger 
than  formerly,  and  bore  him  forwards  quickly,  and  before  he 
was  well  aware  of  it,  he  was  in  a  large  garden  where  the  apple- 
trees  stood  in  full  bloom,  where  the  syringas  sent  forth  their 
fragrance  and  hung  their  long  green  branches  down  into  the 
winding  canal.  Oh,  everything  was  so  lovely,  so  full  of  the 
freshness  of  spring  !  And  out  of  the  thicket  came  three  beauti- 
ful white  swans.  They  displayed  their  feathers  so  proudly, 
and  swam  so  lightly,  so  lightly !  The  duckling  knew  the 
glorious  creatures,  and  was  seized  with  a  strange  melancholy. 

c  I  will  fly  to  them,  those  kingly  birds  ! '  said  he.  4  They 
will  kill  me,  because  I,  ugly  as  I  am,  have  presumed  to  approach 
them  ;  but  it  matters  not,  better  to  be  killed  by  them  than  to 
be  bitten  by  the  ducks,  pecked  by  the  hens,  kicked  by  the  girl 
who  feeds  the  poultry,  and  to  have  so  much  to  suffer  during  the 
winter ! '  He  flew  into  the  water,  and  swam  towards  the  beauti- 
ful creatures — they  saw  him  and  shot  forward  to  meet  him. 
4  Only  kill  me,'  said  the  poor  animal,  and  he  bowed  his  head 
low,  expecting  death, — but  what  did  he  see  in  the  water  ? — he 
saw  beneath  him  his  own  form,  no  longer  that  of  a  plump, 
ugly,  grey  bird — it  was  that  of  a  swan. 

It  matters  not  to  have  been  born  in  a  duck-yard,  if  one  has 
been  hatched  from  a  swan's  egg. 

The  good  creature  felt  himself  really  elevated  by  all  the 
troubles  and  adversities  he  had  experienced.  He  could  now 
rightly  estimate  his  own  happiness,  and  the  larger  swans  swam 
round  him,  and  stroked  him  with  their  beaks. 

Some  little  children  were  running  about  in  the  garden ; 
282 


AND    EVERY    ONE    3AID,    'THE    NEW    ONE    13    THE    BEST 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

they  threw  grain  and  bread  into  the  water,  and  the  youngest 
exclaimed,  '  There  is  a  new  one  !  ' — the  others  also  cried  out, 
4  Yes,  there  is  a  new  swan  come  ! '  and  they  clapped  their 
hands,  and  danced  around.  They  ran  to  their  father  and 
mother,  bread  and  cake  were  thrown  into  the  water,  and  every 
one  said, '  The  new  one  is  the  best,  so  young,  and  so  beautiful ! ' 
and  the  old  swans  bowed  before  him.  The  young  swan  felt 
quite  ashamed,  and  hid  his  head  under  his  wings ;  he  scarcely 
knew  what  to  do,  he  was  all  too  happy,  but  still  not  proud, 
for  a  good  heart  is  never  proud. 

He  remembered  how  he  had  been  persecuted  and  derided, 
and  he  now  heard  every  one  say  he  was  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  beautiful  birds.  The  syringas  bent  down  their  branches 
towards  him  low  into  the  water,  and  the  sun  shone  so  warmly 
and  brightly— he  shook  his  feathers,  stretched  his  slender  neck, 
and  in  the  joy  of  his  heart  said,  '  How  little  did  I  dream  of  so 
much  happiness  when  I  was  the  ugly,  despised  duckling  ! ' 


284 


THE   NAUGHTY  BOY 

THERE  was  once  an  old  poet,  such  a  good,  honest  old 
poet !  He  was  sitting  alone  in  his  own  little  room  on 
a  very  stormy  evening ;  the  wind  was  roaring  with- 
out, and  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents.  But  the  old  man 
sat  cosily  by  his  warm  stove,  the  fire  was  blazing  brightly, 
and  some  apples  were  roasting  in  front  of  it. 

4  Those  poor  people  who  have  no  roof  to  shelter  them 
to-night  will,  most  assuredly,  not  have  a  dry  thread  left  on 
their  skin,'  said  the  kind-hearted  old  man. 

4  Oh,  open  the  door !  open  the  door  !  I  am  so  cold,  and 
quite  wet  through  besides — open  the  door  !  '  cried  a  voice  from 
without.  The  voice  was  like  a  child's,  and  seemed  half-choked 
with  sobs.  '  Rap,  rap,  rap  ! '  it  went  on  knocking  at  the  door, 
whilst  the  rain  still  kept  streaming  down  from  the  clouds,  and 
the  wind  rattled  among  the  window-panes. 

4  Poor  thing  ! '  said  the  old  poet ;  and  he  arose  and  opened 
the  door.  There  stood  a  little  boy,  almost  naked  ;  the  water 
trickled  down  from  his  long  flaxen  hair  ;  he  was  shivering  with 
cold,  and  had  he  been  left  much  longer  out  in  the  street,  he 
must  certainly  have  perished  in  the  storm. 

'  Poor  boy ! '  said  the  old  poet  again,  taking  him  by  the 
hand,  and  leading  him  into  his  room.  '  Come  to  me,  and  we  '11 
soon  make  thee  warm  again,  and  I  will  give  thee  some  wine, 
and  some  roasted  apples  for  thy  supper,  my  pretty  child  !  ' 

And,  of  a  truth,  the  boy  was  exceedingly  pretty.  His  eyes 
286 


He  jumped  down  from  the  old  man's  lap  and  danced  around  him 

on  the  floor 


• 


THE  NAUGHTY  BOY 

shone  as  bright  as  stars,  and  his  hair,  although  dripping  with 
water,  curled  in  beautiful  ringlets.  He  looked  quite  like  a 
little  cherub,  but  he  was  very  pale,  and  trembled  in  every  limb 
with  cold.  In  his  hand  he  held  a  pretty  little  cross-bow,  but 
it  seemed  entirely  spoilt  by  the  rain,  and  the  colours  painted 
on  the  arrows  all  ran  one  into  another. 

The  old  poet  sat  down  again  beside  the  stove,  and  took  the 
little  boy  in  his  lap  ;  he  wrung  the  water  out  of  his  streaming 
hair,  warmed  the  child's  hands  within  his  own,  and  gave  him 
mulled  wine  to  drink.  The  boy  soon  became  himself  again,  the 
rosy  colour  returned  to  his  cheeks,  he  jumped  down  from  the 
old  man's  lap,  and  danced  around  him  on  the  floor. 

4  Thou  art  a  merry  fellow  ! '  said  the  poet.  '  Thou  must  tell 
me  thy  name.' 

'  They  call  me  Cupid,'  replied  the  boy.  '  Don't  you  know 
me  ?  There  lies  my  bow ;  ah,  you  can't  think  how  capitally 
I  can  shoot !  See,  the  weather  is  fine  again  now ;  the  moon  is 
shining  bright.' 

'  But  thy  bow  is  spoilt,'  said  the  old  man. 

'  That  would  be  a  sad  disaster,  indeed,'  remarked  the  boy, 
as  he  took  the  bow  in  his  hand  and  examined  it  closely.  '  Oh, 
it  is  quite  dry  by  this  time,  and  it  is  not  a  bit  damaged ;  the 
string,  too,  is  quite  strong  enough,  I  think.  However,  I  may 
as  well  try  it ! '  He  then  drew  his  bow,  placed  an  arrow  before 
the  string,  took  his  aim,  and  shot  direct  into  the  old  poet's 
heart.  '  Now  you  may  be  sure  that  my  cross-bow  is  not 
spoilt !  '  cried  he,  as,  with  a  loud  laugh,  he  ran  away. 

The  naughty  boy  !  This  was,  indeed,  ungrateful  of  him, 
to  shoot  to  the  heart  the  good  old  man  who  had  so  kindly  taken 
him  in,  warmed  him,  and  dried  his  clothes,  given  him  sweet 
wine,  and  nice  roasted  apples  for  supper ! 

The  poor  poet  lay  groaning  on  the  ground,  for  the  arrow 

287 


HANS  ANDERSEN'S  FAIRY  TALES 

had  wounded  him  sorely.  c  Fie,  for  shame,  Cupid  !  '  cried  he, 
c  thou  art  a  wicked  boy  !  I  will  tell  all  good  children  how  thou 
hast  treated  me,  and  bid  them  take  heed  and  never  play  with 
thee,  for  thou  wilt  assuredly  do  them  a  mischief,  as  thou  hast 
done  to  me.' 

All  the  good  boys  and  girls  to  whom  he  related  this  story 
were  on  their  guard  against  the  wicked  boy,  Cupid  ;  but,  not- 
withstanding, he  made  fools  of  them  again  and  again,  he  is  so 
terribly  cunning !  When  the  students  are  returning  home 
from  lecture,  he  walks  by  their  side,  dressed  in  a  black  gown, 
and  with  a  book  under  his  arm.  They  take  him  to  be  a  fellow- 
student,  and  so  they  suffer  him  to  walk  arm-in-arm  with  them, 
just  as  if  he  were  one  of  their  intimate  friends.  But  whilst 
they  are  thus  familiar  with  him,  all  of  a  sudden  he  thrusts  his 
arrows  into  their  bosoms.  Even  when  young  girls  are  going  to 
church,  he  will  follow  and  watch  for  his  opportunity  :  he  is 
always  waylaying  people.  In  the  theatre,  he  sits  in  the  great 
chandelier,  and  kindles  such  a  bright,  hot  flame,  men  fancy  it  a 
lamp,  but  they  are  soon  undeceived.  He  wanders  about  in  the 
royal  gardens  and  all  the  public  walks,  making  mischief  every- 
where ;  nay,  once  he  even  shot  thy  father  and  mother  to  the 
heart !  Only  ask  them,  dear  child,  and  they  will  certainly  tell 
thee  all  about  it.  In  fine,  this  fellow,  this  Cupid,  is  a  very 
wicked  boy  !  Do  not  play  with  him  !  He  waylays  everybody, 
boys  and  girls,  youths  and  maidens,  men  and  women,  rich  and 
poor,  old  and  young.  Only  think  of  this  :  he  once  shot  an 
arrow  into  thy  good  old  grandmother's  heart !  It  happened 
a  long  time  ago,  and  she  has  recovered  from  the  wound,  but  she 
will  never  forget  him,  depend  upon  it. 

Fie,  for  shame  !  wicked  Cupid  !  Is  he  not  a  mischievous 
boy? 

Beware  of  him,  beware  of  him,  dear  child  ! 
288 


THE  END 


Printed  by  T.  and  A.  CONSTABLE,  Printers  to  His  Majesty 
at  the  Edinburgh  University  Press 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A    001  234424    8 


